Food blockade: Fate turns against northern farmers as they lament, lose big time in onion, tomato trade
- Northern farmers are now regretting their refusal to allow their produce get to the south
- The traders are beginning to experience massive losses in their trade, especially in vegetable
- This is as the prices of crops like onions and tomatoes have crashed, making it impossible for the traders to make a profit
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The blockade of farm produce to the south by northern farmers under the auspices of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN) is turning against them as they begin to lose a lot in their trade.
Daily Trust reports that the stance of the northern traders has crashed the prices of crops like tomatoes and onions, making them suffer huge losses.
For instance, the newspaper's investigations revealed that Kano traders are lamenting that markets that used to load about 35 to 40 trucks of tomatoes to the south daily have not loaded even half a truck in the last five days.
Source: Twitter
A tomato marketer in the state, Malam Ibrahim Ghali Dumaji said that contrary to what was obtainable a basket of the produce is sold at N850 while the basket itself is sold at N750 and as such pushing the cost of a basket of tomato to N1600.
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Dumaji lamented:
“The union’s recent strike and the current glut has thrown tomato farmers, marketers and other perishable farmers in Kano State into a serious crisis as many farmers abandoned their farms, awaiting a miracle.
"This is a serious challenge taking into consideration the cost of production and other expenses incurred during the planting and harvesting processes."
Moreover, other traders noticed serious losses as a big sack of onions initially sold for N35,000 now sells for N7,000.
Earlier, northern traders had put forward an adamant stance in response to calls for them to allow farm produce get to the southwestern part of Nigeria.
The traders are aggrieved over the news of their kinsmen being harassed and allegedly killed in the southwest.
Some members of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria in Kano who spoke with journalists on Tuesday, March 2, vowed that they prefer to lose their harvested food crops rather than convey them elsewhere.
Onyirioha Nnamdi is a graduate of Literature and English Language at the University of Lagos. He is a Politics/Current Affairs Editor who writes on news and political topics for Legit.ng. He brings into his reporting a wealth of experience in creative and analytical writing. Nnamdi has a major interest in local and global politics.
Source: Legit.ng
