2020 Xmas: What Preparations? 

The Christmas season is fast approaching. As usual, preparations towards the Yuletide are on top gear. But with the harrowing experience had by many Nigerians this year, will this year’s Christmas celebration be able to measure up to the previous ones in terms of buying and selling?
In this week’s edition of ‘My Business’, our senior correspondent, Lilian Peters, went to town to find answers to this question and these are what she came back with.

A food and vegetable dealer at the Port Harcourt Fruit Garden Market,  Mrs Goodness Halim, said that the level of sales in the market was yet to reflect the season’s sales.
“The demand, this period, is still very low when compared to the previous years when you saw different groups organising end of the year parties.
“There is no money in circulation and we, the dealers, do not even see money to stock our shops with goods. We buy small quantities, which makes it more expensive”, she said.
Mrs Halim attributed the low patronage to the effect of COVID-19, EndSARS protest and the economic recession in the country.
“A carton of sweet corn which cost N2,800 before is now N4,500; a basket of fresh tomatoes before EndSARS cost N2,800, it is now sold at N4,300, while a sachet of tomatoes now sells at N150 as against N50 before now.
“A kilo of carrots which was N200 before is now N400. A five litre of groundnut oil has risen from N4,500 to N5,500”, he said.
She noted that people only picked their daily needs instead of buying in quantity to stock their houses for the season.

Another market dealer in foodstuffs and vegetables, Stella Nwaigwe, noted that the level of sales has never been the same after COVID-19.
She said the purchasing power of the masses had remained low due to the ravaging effect of the shutdown occasioned by Coronavirus pandemic.
Nwaigwe noted that some of the companies that used to buy foodstuffs in bulk had not started operations since the shutdown.
“It is affecting my business. Even the companies that have opened have reduced their purchasing rate. Fast food joints and restaurants are no longer having customers like before”, she stated.
She blamed the high cost of foodstuffs on the levies demanded by Customs, high cost of transportation due to bad road network and increase in the prices of petroleum products.
“If the levies on the goods are reduced, the prices will definitely reduce. Let the leaders of this nation help the poor masses, especially during this Christmas season.
“We cannot compare this year to the previous years. Before now, you would have seen many trucks loaded with bags of rice and other gift items for their clients and customers. We are believing God that we will make season’s sales before the Christmas Day”, she said.

The Managing Director, Megjey Resources, Port Harcourt, Mrs. Mercy Egbichi, said, “2020 is a different year altogether. By this time in the previous years, we were very busy, selling, supplying and replacing our stock as soon they got depleted, but nothing is happening this period”.
She also attributed the lull in economic activities to poor economy in the country, COVID-19 pandemic and the EndSARS protest across the country.
Egbichi noted that many people were passing through difficult times, with some even finding it difficult to feed, not to talk of shopping for the season.
According to her, “Money is not flowing in this country and remember, many people lost their jobs during the Coronavirus period; so what would they use to buy things in the market?
“Another challenge is that things are extremely expensive and the cost is rising on daily basis. Go round the shops in Port Harcourt, you will see that shops are virtually empty”.
Mrs Egbichi, who has a foodstuff shop at Elekahia Market, also lamented the high cost of purchase in the market due to high exchange rate.
“My neighbour went to buy drinks for sales on Monday and came back with her money because the prices were so high. A bag of local rice by this time last year was between N18,000 and N19,000, but now, a bag of Nigerian rice is N26,000. Foreign rice is N38,000.
“A bag of beans is now N40,000 as against N25,000 sold by this period last year. One rubber of iron beans is N1,800. One tuber of yam that cost N600 last year now goes for N1,700, while a carton of tin tomatoes by 48 is sold at N13,000 as against N4,500 the previous year.
“Government at all levels should do something about the situation of the country.
“Those in the North are fully supported by their government in accessing loans and grants, but here, those in charge will even extort money from the poor masses and still use people’s names to get the money for their personal use”, she alleged.