Scarcity: Perishable good dealers advise customers to embrace dry substitutes
By Ahmed Kaigama
Dealers in perishable goods in Bauchi have appealed to customers to switch to dry substitutes since fresh items have become increasingly scarce and costly with the rainy season.
The Chairman of the Perishable Dealers Association at the Muda Lawal Market, Bauchi, Malam Abdullahi Maigambaye, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Bauchi.
He urged residents to exercise patience and adapt, while assuring them that the situation would normalise in the next two months.
He said that the scarcity and price hikes were primarily due to the high cost of transportation and short shelf-life of fresh perishables, which rot quickly, resulting in losses for dealers.
“The price of tomato, pepper, and onions has gone up.
“A bag of pepper or tomato, which sold for N70,000 two months ago now goes for as high as N150,000,” Maigambaye said.
He said that dealers were drying perishable goods to preserve them and make them more affordable to customers.
“Dry perishables are cheaper than fresh ones, so we advise people to buy them until the fresh supply stabilises,” he said.
Maigambaye also appealed to the Bauchi State Government to support both dealers and farmers to help tackle the challenges contributing to scarcity and boost the perishable goods market in the state.
He lauded the government for providing an enabling environment for dealers to operate.
A visit to the market by a NAN correspondent revealed the extent of frustration buyers face.
A customer, Mrs Jummai Mubarak, lamented that fresh tomato and pepper had become luxury and unaffordable to the ordinary families.
“Things are tough. Sometimes, I just manage with whatever alternative I can afford to cook my soup,” she said.
Another customer, Audu Maishaje, expressed similar concern, saying that many households now prefer dry or canned options because they seemed more accessible and budget-friendly. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Esenvosa Izah
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