PH Residents Lament Increase In Prices Of Products

Ahead of the Yuletide, residents of Port Harcourt and its environs are already apprehensive over the increase in the prices of various products.
The Tide Metro investigation reveals that product price increase which also affects transport fares, is evidently the fallout of the sudden increase in petroleum, pump price to N170,00.
A random market survey by The Tide Metro indicates poor patronage of products, ranging from foodstuff, cloths, and other utility items.
A fruit dealer at the Amaeli Market in Elekahia, Agnes Igodoh who spoke with The Tide said the cost of fruits has increased due to increase in transport fare.
She said the cost of transporting the fruits from “bush market” to the township has now increased due to the increase in fuel pump price, “We normally go to the rural communities to buy fruits, but now we find it difficult to get the fruits because of high cost of transport, where we used to pay N3,000, we now pay N5,000, this has badly affected our business and it’s most likely that the prices of products will up more if nothing is done before we enter the Christmas period”.
Another trader at the Amaeli market, Blessing Udoh, who deals on foodstuff said the cost of foodstuff is also on a steady increase, leading to low turn up.
She said the cost of a bag of rice now is going up to N44,000, while a bag of local rice sells at N29 to 32,000.
The way prices of products are on the increase shows that the situation of things are likely going to worsen in the weeks to come, I am afraid that it’s going to be difficult for the masses to buy food stuff during the Yuletide period, government should intervene to make life easy for the common man. Johnson Opus, a dealer on cloths also expressed dissatisfaction over the poor turn out of customers to patronise his wares. “I normally buy cloths at wholesale prices from Onitsha market to sell them in Port Harcourt, recently I went to the market to find out that prices of cloths have increased. To meet up we cloth dealers also have to add up something to cover our expenses.
He pointed out that the general low patronage by customers was because people were more concerned about how to put food on the table.
“I went to Onitsha market recently to buy new stock, but sales were very poor, hardly before you see any body coming to buy, and the few that came to price the cloths always shouted and moved away when you tell them the prices of cloths, people are more bordered about their daily bread than to buy cloths.
Another cloth dealer at the Mile Three Market, Stanley Enoje, said cloth dealers have been passing through difficult times because of the high expenses incurred to get the wares.
Enoje, who deals on fairly used clothes said the cost of bails had increased and it is also very difficult to get materials because of the closing of borders. “I deal on second hand clothes, which I open in bails, but it is very difficult to get our products, I want to use this medium to call on the government to open the borders so that we can get products”.
A bread seller, Joy Ekanem also lamented the increase in the prices of bread. She said a loaf that previously sold at five hundred Naira now sell at six hundred naira, while the one that sold at three hundred naira now sell; at four hundred Naira.

By: Taneh Beemene