THE MINNA Amalgamated Market Traders Union (MAMTU) in Niger says it is making efforts to meet with the state government and traditional leaders to find solution to rising food costs in the state.
Alhaji Shehu Usman, Vice-Chairman, MAMTU, said this on Tuesday in Minna during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Usman said the measure, when concluded, would help in ameliorating the current economic hardship, especially hunger, being experienced by people in the state.
“It is a sad story that the economic hardship is taking a negative toll on our people.
“Nigerians are suffering in all aspects of life, the worst now is hunger and starvation, so it is not only in Niger State
“Therefore, in Niger state, MAMTU, made up of 164 associations, is planning to meet with the state government and the Emirs to see how we can reduce the prices of food stuffs.
“This is because both the traders and other citizens are suffering,” he said.
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The Vice-Chairman said the union set up a committee recently after the state governor, Alhaji Umaru Bago, banned taking large quantity of farm produce or essential commodities out of the state.
“After the government’s ban on purchasing large quantity of food stuff and taking them out of the state or storing them in a warehouse, we set up a committee to search the warehouses in the market.
“However, we have not caught anybody hoarding food items. We also directed the committee to report anybody who purchases more than ten bags of any commodity, but we are yet to apprehend anybody.
“The truth is that the traders and marketers are aware of the government’s directive and the consequences of flouting such an order, so everybody is careful not to fall victim,” he told NAN.
Also, Alhaji Musa Bawa-Bosso, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security cautioned farmers in the state against selling all their farm produce to off-takers.
He said such middlemen would ferry the food stuff out of the state or store it in warehouses for higher gains in the markets.
Bawa-Boss said the ministry was collaborating with other organs of government and traditional leaders to end moving large quantity of food stuffs out of the state.
NAN reports that the state government on Feb. 6 announced ban against unscrupulous middlemen and marketers who cause artificial scarcity of essential commodities in the state.
It alleged that the middlemen either hoard or ferry the items out of the state to increase their prices to make arbitrary gains.
The commissioner said the state government had directed the ministry to ensure food sufficiency in the state through mechanised farming.
“This is the reason we are cultivating 10,000 hectares of land across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state to produce enough food, create jobs and wealth for our people.
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“The state government has purchased tractors and other farm implements to support the programme,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Innocent Ani, a provision shop owner at Abdulkadir Kure Market, Minna decried a situation where the prices of essential commodities such as rice, beans and garri keep soaring in the markets.
“We are just trading to survive; you can see that business is no longer booming.
“Early January this year, we sold 50kg bag of local rice for N45,000, now it is N62,000.
“The same period 50kg of the foreign rice was sold for between N58,000 and N60,000, but now we sell the same rice for between N70,000 and N72,000 per bag,” he said.
Ani appealed to the three tiers of government to urgently urgently to address the high cost of living in the country.
NAN recalls that on Feb. 6 many residents of Minna protested against rising cost of living and hunger occasioned by the current economic downturn.
Bago attributed the cause of the protest to the unwholesome activities of middle men and marketers and banned them from taking large quantity of food stuffs and essential commodities out of the state. Bago said that the measure would reduce the prices of food stuff. (NAN)
