From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka & Halimat Musbaudeen
Food sellers in Kaduna State have lamented the high cost of foodstuff and other commodities in the state, which they said is making business more difficult.
Daily Trust reports that the high inflation currently being experienced in the country has caused a rise in goods and services.
A cross-section of food sellers at Bakin Dogo market yesterday lamented over their inability to purchase large quantities of foodstuff for their business.
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A food seller, Wasilat Yusuf, who has been in the business for over 20 years and has been managing after food stuff increases said keeping her business afloat has been a major challenge.
“It has not been easy for me since the death of my husband five years ago. He used to help me with my business, especially financially and also assisted me when foodstuff prices started to increase,” she said.
On the impact of the increase in the prices of foodstuff, she said, “Initially, I used to sell a plate of food with meat for N200 naira. Now I have been forced to increase it to N500 if the customer buys one piece of meat, and N700 with two pieces of meat.”
Another food seller at the market, Mercy John, explained that due to the increase in prices of foodstuff, she was forced to increase the price of her food.
Wasilat however lamented that her customers have begun to complain, saying, “In order not to increase the price of my food too much, I had to reduce the quantity of the food to satisfy my customers.”
While noting that she used to make up to N50,000 daily, but now hardly makes up to N30,000, she called on the government to take deliberate steps to reduce the cost of foodstuff.
On her part, Hafsat Muhammad, a widow, said some food vendors are responsible for the increase in the price of food.
She claimed that some food vendors increase prices on their own to maximise profit and not because there is a change in their supply.
Hafsat also appealed to the government to find a solution to lower the prices of foodstuffs and other commodities.
