Lassa fever: Price of garri drops at Mile 12 market

The price of garri has recorded a slight fall at the popular Mile 12 Market in Lagos following the outbreak of the dreaded Lassa fever, EkoTrust investigation has reveled. One of the garri sellers in the market, Mrs Kafayat Gafar, told our correspondent that her customers have not been buying the product in large quantity […]

The price of garri has recorded a slight fall at the popular Mile 12 Market in Lagos following the outbreak of the dreaded Lassa fever, EkoTrust investigation has reveled.
One of the garri sellers in the market, Mrs Kafayat Gafar, told our correspondent that her customers have not been buying the product in large quantity of recent, due to the advice by Lagos State health workers discouraging people from taking soaked garri until Lagos is declared free of Lassa fever believed to be caused by infected rats who usually drop their faeces and urine in exposed garri and other food products.
Gafar added, “Some health workers have been moving round, advising people from taking soaked garri because of Lassa fever.We are not against their advice, but it has affected our sales. Majority of our customers who presently buy the product are buying it to make ‘eba’. And this has reduced the quantity of garri they are buying.”
Another seller of the product, Mrs Idowu Oladele, lamented; “Imagine, 60kg bag of garri which we now sell for N5,867 was sold at N5,933 before the advice that people should not take soaked garri. But we thank God that the margin in the price is not too much.”
One of the patrons of Mile 12 Market, Mr Amidu Babatunde, said he used to take soaked garri everyday, but he now takes the product twice in a week due to the scourge of Lassa fever.
 He added that this has drastically reduced the quantity of garri he buys in the market. “I couldn’t do without taking soaked garri with cold water in a day before, especially in the afternoon. Now. I take soaked garri only twice in a week due to the fear of Lassa fever.
 “I used to buy two buckets of garri in a week before, but now, I buy just one bucket per week. I have to reduce my consumption of garri because I don’t want to die.”