By Correspondent in Lokoja
Gari,hitherto regarded as common man’s food has joined the elite menu, as its measure (robber paint) on Tuesday, sold at N2,400 at the Lokoja international and old markets, The Reporters reports.
Our Correspondent, who visited the market as well as old market on Tuesday, reports that gari has become a golden commodity, far from the reach of the poor.
Most of the gari sellers who spoke with our Correspondent attributed the causes of the astronomical price in the sale of the staple food to herders-farmers clashes, a development they said discouraged farming in many parts of the country.
“Farmers in many states of Nigeria can longer cultivate cassava in large quantity as they used to do because of herdsmen attacks on them. This is the shouting factor among the causes of the terrible hike in the price of the commodity. This is most unfortunate.
“Secondly, rural roads are bad with commercial drivers complaining of accelerated wear and tear on their vehicles, coupled with high cost of fuelling and buying of spear parts of vehicles.
“With the high cost of transporting gari to the urban cities from the rural, there is no way the cost of gari will not rise, if we must break even,if not gain”, Hajia Lami Samaila told our correspondent in Lokoja.
Others identified the cause of the hike to high demand for cassava by companies into production of stash as a major product used in the production of stash many of which are usually ship abroad.
Malam Sadik Usman, a retired civil servant, however called on the government to redouble efforts in arresting insecurity, especially harders-farmers clashes in the country.
“When there is peace and herders-farmers clashes cease,many farmers will return to farm, production of cassava will increase and this will naturally force of gari to come down.
“Government should also give serious consideration to the issue of mechanize farming to boost farmers’ productivity, especially in the areas of staple foods such as gari,rice and other grains. This will ensure the growing population has enough food to eat and prepare some for export.
“When the rural roads are motorable, drivers will spend less in maintaining their vehicles and this will have positive multiplier effects on the prices of gari and other food stuffs in the country,”he urged.
Our Correspondent also observed that prices of other consumables and no consumables items in the markets in the area have hit the roof with consumers groaning amidst unabated frightening price increase.