Rice, maize prices still high in Kano

In Kano State, prices of some commodities have remained high despite the news of reduction in prices of same items in other states.

Residents who spoke with our correspondent said they are yet to feel the impact as prices of commodities within their communities have not changed.

Recent reports indicate that prices of food commodities like rice and maize have dropped in some major markets but residents have continued to get these commodities within their communities at a very high price.

Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, Ahmed Idris, a civil servant with the state government, lamented that the news on various media channels have indicated that the prices of food commodities are crashing down but according to him, they are yet to witness any change in their communities.

• Why Yobe rice farmers face tougher decision this year
• AGRO SOLUTIONS: Hot Weather Management of Poultry

“When we heard the news, we were elated but unfortunately, almost ten days now, we haven’t witnessed the said reduction except in the prices of few items such as noodles.

“We did our peripheral investigations and discovered that the prices of food commodities have dropped. However, we don’t know where the problem lies as we are still paying high for commodities that were said to have recorded a drop in prices,” he said.

Another resident, Isah Musa, stated that what is currently happening is clear evidence that the initial hike in commodity price was deliberate, adding that the ongoing situation has forced people to adopt a measure alien to them.

“I don’t know what is wrong with some people. Following the good news of price reduction, we were expecting a reflection of the reduction within our communities but sadly, we are yet to see that reduction, I want to use this opportunity to call on the authorities concerned to wade into this matter and save many innocent people suffering unduly,” he said.

A visit to the Singer market shows that a 50kg bag of foreign rice is N65,000 as against N85,000 and a big carton of noodles is N8,500 as against N13,500. At Kura market, a measure of locally milled rice which sold for N3,400 is now N3,000, while 100kg bag of maize sold for N58,000 is now N53,000.

However, one of the food merchants in Hotoro community, Malam Manu Bello, revealed that the reason behind the hike in price despite the drop aligns with the hike in transportation fare, adding that the drop is negligible and compared with the transportation fare, it would be very difficult to reflect in the prices sold within communities.

“Indeed, there is drop in the prices of some food commodities but the drop is very negligible to the extent that it will not reflect on the current selling price. This is because dealers of these commodities have to pay extra transport fare to bring it home for people to buy, coupled with other logistics. People should be patient. Sooner or later, the prices will drop,” he said.