Bitter kola, also known as Garcinia kola, is gradually becoming one of the highly sought products in Nigeria and other countries across the world. The nut is occasionally eaten by a few people, especially in the northern part of Nigeria as the region doesn’t grow it much, and it was initially sold cheaply as against what is now being experienced. Weekend Trust gathered that the price of the nut is now out of reach of the common man.
Alhaji Usman Dauda is a bitter kola merchant at the famous Mariri Kolanut Market in Kano and according to him, the nut has gradually become one of the nuts in high demand, not only in the local business space, but also in the international market. He explained that though the nut is currently in high demand in the North, it is known to be grown in the South-west, South-south and North-central regions of Nigeria.
He revealed that though the nut is currently highly consumed within the nation, findings have shown that countries like China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and several Asian countries are taking the nut from Nigeria, hence the hike in the price.
He added that many people have ventured into exportation of bitter kola as the demand by foreign countries heightens.
“Perhaps, the rise in demand of the nut by other countries is responsible for the increase in price. However, the consumption of the nut has also increased due to some other issues. It will interest you to note that the nut is being exported in different forms; it could be taken out dried or in powdered form, depending on the specification of the buyer and the country it is being taken to,” he said.
Another merchant, Malam Ubale Umar, said the transformation in the bitter kola business happened within the last five years, adding that initially, bitter kola business wasn’t lucrative and one needed just a small capital to start it.
According to him, the business became what it is today due to the exportation potentials of the nut, explaining that small scale exporters can start the business using simple devices such as phones. He further stated that another advantage of the nut is that it is neither a perishable item nor does it require special storage facility.
He revealed that many people in the business are rich.
Findings have also revealed that bitter kola gained serious recognition during the Covid-19 pandemic when it was believed that the nut could cure any form of flu and also provided the body with the needed immunity against the virus. Although, there was no medical confirmation that bitter kola could cure Covid.
Hajiya Hafsat Idi claimed that she started using bitter kola after the Covid-19 pandemic. According to her, she became ill during the pandemic and bitter kola was introduced to her as a remedy to her illness. She said she was healed after three days of using bitter kola and ever since, she’s made it a habit to take one piece of bitter kola every day.
“Though bitter kola has become very expensive these days, I have made it a habit to take a nut every day. Initially, a piece was sold for between N20 and N50, but now, that same size costs between N100 and N200. Some are even smaller. Many people take the nut for medicinal purposes and I was told that bitter kola is used in the formulation of various medicines,” she said.
A visit to the famous Kano Mariri Kolanut Market revealed that, presently, the nut is scarce compared to months ago. Weekend Trust gathered that demand for the nut has made the product scarce, just as the price has gone up. Our correspondent reports that the quantity sold for N25, 000 months ago is now N80, 000.
Murtala Karmo Mai Namijin Goro, who has been in the business for decades, is one of the biggest bitter kola dealers in the market. He said he had never witnessed this sort of boom in the business. He attributed the rise in demand and price to the belief that the nut has high medicinal value, coupled with its new exportation status. He said many people ventured into the business for exportation purpose.
“Those involved in the exportation business said the nut has huge potentials, and it is clear that the exporters are now smiling to the bank as the business opportunity is said to be expanding. I found out that despite the fact that the volume being exported is low now, there is the tendency that with expansion in nut cultivation, the export will soon be huge,” he said.
Considerable experimental evidence has been adduced to support its chemical constituents against several ailments in the community, including malaria.
According to a Kano-based nutritionist, Malam Ali Aminu, bitter kola has some nutrients that are good for the body. He said the nut has various health benefits that include: alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and amino acids. According to him, these compounds give the nut antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help in boosting the body’s immune system and protect the body cells from damage.
“The nut contains caffeine and theobromine, which serves as tonic for speeding up heart beat among other benefits. However, there is the propensity for addiction due to its caffeine content,” he said.
Another nutritionist, Sani Bello, said people have to be careful in the consumption of the nut, as too much of it could cause insomnia, nervousness and heart palpitations due to its caffeine content. He also said the nut is not good for people with gastric ulcers, heart disease, anxiety disorders or high blood pressure.
A herbal medicine dealer, Malam Isah Baffa, said bitter kola features in virtually every medicine they produce. He said it is one of the main ingredients they use in the preparation of malaria medicine and others.
“No doubt, bitter kola is scarce these days because almost every herbal medicine you know has a portion of bitter kola in it and we were told that even the white people use it in their medicines as well,” he said.
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