Mpape agro commodities traders lament low patronage

By Esther Chukwu   Agricultural commodity traders at Mpape market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried low patronage. A cross section of the traders who spoke to Daily Trust attributed the increase in prices of goods and services in the past few months as the major cause. According to them, increase in the […]

By Esther Chukwu

 

Agricultural commodity traders at Mpape market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried low patronage.

A cross section of the traders who spoke to Daily Trust attributed the increase in prices of goods and services in the past few months as the major cause.

According to them, increase in the prices of food items has reduced patronage and sales for the traders, which has affected their profits.

A trader who simply identified himself as Chukwuebuka said, “I bought a bag of local rice for N18,000; last week, I purchased the same item for N25,000.

“Because of the increase in prices, customers now buy low quantities. If a customer budgets to buy eight cups of rice based on the price it was sold the previous time, such a customer may end up buying four cups because of the increase in price. The less they buy, the fewer the quantity we sell and the less profit we make.”

He further said: “I will be happy to buy a bag of rice for N20,000 with the desire that after selling it, I will be able to make a profit of around N6,000. But by the time I have sold it and go back to purchase another bag, I will discover that the price has increased to N25,000. And the increase may just be after a week.

“Also, because my profit is gone, it has become difficult for me to provide for my family as I used to. Even school fees for my three children have become a problem because the fees have recently been increased.”

Another trader, chiamaka Joseph, noted that aside profits and sales, inflation had also wedged her purchasing capacity.

In her words: “This situation has not only caused the number of customers that visit my shop to reduce, it has also reduced the quantity of goods I can purchase,” she lamented.”

She said insecurity is another major challenge faced by traders in the present market.

“Traders used to travel to places like Onitsha, Maiduguri and Taraba to purchase goods, but can no longer do that due to fear of being killed by unknown gunmen and bandits,” she said.

Joseph also said farmers are unable to go to farms to plant or harvest their crops due to insecurity.

She advised the government to double effort in curtailing the crises happening in the country, “as it will help boost the economy of the nation.”