Traders’ union warns of looming food shortage, inflation

By The Guardian Newspaper

IF the persistent attacks by Boko Haram and other insurgent groups targeting farmers and farming communities in the country are allowed to continue unchecked, the nation will soon have to contend with massive food shortage and inflation, the National Traders and Market Leaders Council of Nigeria has said.

The traders’ union also seeks government’s approval to form a market taskforce that will curb street trading as well as control prices of goods.

The union President, Chief Adenike Lawal, told The Guardian in Abuja at the weekend that the killing of traders, especially in the northern region, would drastically affect prices of agricultural produce.

She lamented that since this year, terrorist activities have claimed over 200 traders in “senseless and unprovoked attacks on traders doing their legitimate businesses of commercial purchase of farm produce for distribution nationwide.”

Lawal expressed concern that this development would cause food shortage and inflation, which would increase poverty and unemployment. Therefore, she urged governments to create alternative markets in place of the demolished ones. According to her, “developers hike government’s allotted prices for shops. We need a local market.”

“I want to appeal to Nigerians that are aggrieved with Mr. President (Goodluck Jonathan) on any matter to avoid violence and seek dialogue, as that is the best way for conflict resolution.

“In Kano, Maiduguri and Yobe, many of our traders have been killed, many went to buy livestock like rams, cows but were killed and that is why the prices of these food items are skyrocketing everyday, as many people are scared to embark on such trading,” she said.

Some months ago, 14 beans traders from Bodija Market in Ibadan were killed in Borno State by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members while on a trip to buy farm produce for markets in Lagos, Oyo, Ondo and Ogun states.

The killings prompted the Ibadan Foodstuff Traders Association to ban indefinitely further travels to the North to purchase beans, a development that has shot up the price of a bag of beans from N11,000 to N20,000.