Traders in Bauchi metropolis have blamed the hike on foodstuffs on hoarding activities of manufacturers of livestock feeds, agents of rice companies and major dealers.
By James Moses (9News Nigeria -Jos)
The traders revealed this while interacting with Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC.
Açcording to them, manufacturers of livestock feed, agents of rice companies and major dealers hoarding foodstuffs are currently mopping up grains from village markets, and are responsible for constant hike in prices of of foodstuffs in the state.
Chairman of the Grain Traders Association, Bauchi State, Alhaji Nasiru Adamu, said while responding to questions from FCCPA officials and journalists.
“The major reason for scarcity of grains in Bauchi is caused by the influx of manufacturers of livestock companies buying grains, groundnuts and soybeans at exorbitant prices from farmers. As I am talking, there are dozens of companies from Kano and Lagos that have stormed village markets mopping up Rice, Soyabean and Groundnuts.
“Their prices are even higher than what we sell here in Bauchi town. When you buy a trailer of maize it will take you more than a month to sell to retailers in the market but companies are ready to buy 10 or more trailers of grains at higher prices.
“Right now, many trailers in Bauchi town have relocated to Azare, and Katagum Local Government Area because irrigation farmers have harvested their crops and the traders are buying the grains from farmers and supplying the grains to the companies in Kano and Lagos State.
“Another causes in grains scarcity is the fluctuations of fuel prices, prevalent of variation taxes from unions and government across states.
“Just last week we bought maize at one of the stores of major dealers at 51,000 per bag but this week a bag cost #65,000.
“We are suggesting to FCCPC and the state government to come up with a major market to check the outflow of the commodities in the state.
The proposed market should be the only avenue where such companies or major dealers hoarding the commodities can buy”.
Contributing to the discourse, the chairman of Muda Lawal Market, Mikail Abubakar Garba, attributed the hike ink food items on Bauchi to the pressure of many manufacturers of livestock feeds and rice companies buying off commodities directly from the farmers in the state saying:
“Another area of concern is the export of grains and commodities from Nigeria to foreign countries. We are not food sufficient to produce enough for the citizens of the country, government should ban exporting of food items produce in Nigeria until the country is able to produce excess food”
Another trader at Muda Lawal Market Usman Musa, maintained that the hike in grains prices is due to the activities of hoarders in the market and high demand of the commodities at the end of the month, saying:
“Many families are buying foodstuff on Monthly basis and that is why the hike in prices of food items increases drastically at the end of the month in Bauchi”.
On his part, North East Zonal Coordinator of FCCPC, Dauda Amadu Waje, said FCCPC officials visited Muda Lawal and Railway Markets in the metropolis to gather information directly from the sources and stakeholders in the market particularly the executives, market union, sellers and consumers.
He explained that FCCPCs surveillance efforts suggest participants in the food chain and distribution sector including wholesalers and retailers are allegedly engaged in conspiracy, price gauge, hoarding and other unfair practices to restrict or distort competition in the market, restrict the supply of food, manipulate and inflate the price of food in an indiscriminate manner, These obnoxious, unscrupulous, exploitative practices are illegal under FCCPC.
He said, “Following this exercise, the Commission would develop a concise report of its inquiry and make recommendations to the government in accordance to section 17 (b) of the FCCPC and initiate broad based policies and review economic activities in Nigeria to identify the and address anti-competitive, anti-consumer protection and restrictive practices to make markets more competitive while also ensuring fair pricing for consumers”
He noted that the Commission’s priority remains to unlock the markets and addresss key consumer protection and competition issues affecting the prices of commodities in the food sector.
-9News Nigeria.
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