The rate at which prices of foodstuff continue to rise has generated a serious concern from citizens. This has become a topic of discussion by many as there is fear that acute hunger would persist across the country.
Daily Trust on Sunday reliably gathered that in Kano State, prices of rice, maize, millet and other food crops have been increasing, almost on a daily basis, a trend described by many residents as worrisome and dangerous to human existence. Indices have shown that the inflation rate on food commodities has reached about 30 per cent, which is believed to be the highest in recent times.
Findings have shown that a 100kg bag of millet is now selling in Kano at N51,000, 100kg bag of rice, N92,000 and 100kg of maize is N44, 000. The hike has affected almost all agro-commodities, forcing a sense of insecurity in terms of food supply.
A grain merchant at Dawanau International Grain Market, Alhaji Uba Abdullahi Bello, revealed that massive exportation of agro-commodities to neighbouring countries due to the mad rush to earn forex and the massive demand by mega companies are the main reason behind the hike in food prices, especially in Kano State.
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“It will interest you to know that our commodities are now being heavily exported, either legally or illegally. Nigerian commodities are now a hot cake outside the country, and this is simply because our people are in a rush to earn forex that will culminate into a huge sum of naira when converted.
“There is also the mad rush for raw materials by the processing companies. It is very clear that there is a serious competition between demand for consumption and raw materials by these mega companies. And this has resulted in the increase of commodity prices because there is a huge demand,” he said.
Households in the state have expressed the fear of facing a serious food crisis as a result of the high cost of commodities. According to Malam Bashir Idris, a junior civil servant in the state government, a lot of food items are becoming unaffordable to many households. He explained that buying a measure (mudu) of either rice or beans is gradually going out of reach of the common man, adding that people can now only buy in cups.
“In a situation where the minimum wage is N30,000 and a measure of rice is selling at N2,300, you can imagine how life would be. A measure of sugar is now selling at N4,000 while a measure of maize is N1, 200. You will shed tears if you see how our people are coping with this development. The truth is that Nigeria and Nigerians are facing a serious crisis and there is a need for government’s intervention,” he pleaded.
Moreover, following the rise in the prices of locally milled rice and other agro-commodities in Kano State, Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), which serves as an implementing partner in the Kano State Agropastoral Development Project (KSADP), funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Lives and Livelihood Funds (LLF) and the Government of Kano State, has embarked on activities that will ensure massive rice production along its value chain.
Speaking with Daily Trust on Sunday, the deputy country director of the SAA, Dr Abdulhamid Gambo, said the association had been in Kano State for over 34 years supporting crop productivity enhancement, not only on rice but also on other crops.
He explained that the trend in the hike of agro-commodity prices is connected to the trend on the global shock on the micro economic variables.
According to him, the SAA has embarked on training and empowering farmers on the technologies needed for production to ensure better yield and increase in their income. He added that through that, increase in yield has been recorded.
“We are currently promoting good agronomic practices through which we taught farmers how to utilise good varieties of seeds, modern farming techniques, among other things. We have recorded an increase in rice yield from 2 tonnes per hectare to about 5 tonnes. This is a good step forward in addressing the issue of rice production,” he said.
Similarly, the project coordinator, KSADP Project in the office of the SAA, Mr Abdulrasheed Hamisu Kofarmata, said that under the project, farmers’ capacities have been built, as well as teaching them on the values of regenerative agricultural practices.
He said the project didn’t only focus on production but also promoted locally milled rice by training and empowering over 2,500 women on rice per boiling using their group structures.
“We have also established over 30 mini rice mill hubs across the 44 local government areas of the state to boost milling business, as well as to augment what we have been doing on rice production. By doing these we hope to contribute in bringing down the price of rice paddy, as well as locally milled rice in the state,” he revealed.
As the Muslim fasting period is fast approaching, many residents have expressed concern at the rate at which the prices of agro-commodities is getting high every day.
