The fruits and vegetable marketers Association (FUVMA) has given reasons for the recent acute shortage of such commodities as, tomotoes, onions, pepper etc, in the south, particularly in Port Harcourt and its environs.

In an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, the chairman of the association, Mr Chigozie Nnodim said the major reason that caused the acute shortage of fruits and vegetable especially in Port Harcourt was because of the strike embarked by lorry drivers that convery goods from the north to south.

The chairman explained that the drivers embarked on strike between Monday March 8th to Friday March 12th 2010 to protest the much extortion they face on the road by touts who claim to be government agents, and the police.

According to the chairman, “Drivers Protested against extortion by touts who claim to be representing government and have been demanding and collecting produce fees up to the tune of N30,000 from vehicles conveying goods from the north.”

Apart from the extortion, Mr Nnodim also explained that the drivers went on strike also to protest the recurring incidence of armed robbery, inspite of the heavy presence of police and other security agents on the road, as well as the spate of bad roads across the country which has caused damages to themfew.

Within the period of the strike, he said that no vehicle was allowed to convey goods to the south, as there was serious threat to any violation, adding that the few commodities that were available were smuggled through the luxury buses, and that the cost increased.

In the period, he said that a basket of tomatoes that usually sell for N3,000 was sold for N11,000 because they were not available, as those who smuggled them spent more in transporting them.

As at the moment, after the strike had been called-off, the chairman said that prices of commodities have come down, as a basket of tomatoes is now sold at N5,000, but is yet to come down to the normal N3,000.

Apart from the strike matter, another major issue he pointed out affecting their business is the Jos sectarian crisis which he said has caused distortion in the distribution of vegetable fruits across the country.

According to him “Jos is the only place we get our goods, apart from onions that majorly come from Kano, even though we use to have it in Jos during certain seasons.”

He said that all the tomatoes they sell between November and April every year come from Jos, and that between May and October, they get their supplies from Gboko in Benue State and Zaria where they also get tomatoes and hot pepper. 

Corlins Walter