Economic hardship: Kano traders to reduce, stabilise prices
Singer Market Traders Association in Kano, on Monday pledged to reduce and stabilise prices of essential commodities.
The Chairman of the association, Alhaji Ibrahim Danyaro, said this shortly after meeting with the Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti Corruption Commission, Muhyi Magaji.
The commission had on Sunday sealed 10 warehouses that allegedly hoarded assorted food items at Dawanau International Grains Market and the Singer Market.
“We are going to work hand in hand with the commission to ensure that there is price control, in order to ease life for people in Kano and beyond,” Danyaro said.
He however said that the government must prevail on manufacturers to stop the indiscriminate increase in the price of their products.
According to him, dealers at the market are selling goods at lesser price than the companies and will maintain the current price till after the month of Ramadan.
“We don’t increase prices of foodstuffs like rice, sugar, milk and others,” he said, adding that they also don’t hoard goods at the expense of consumers.
“We are pleased to inform you that following the recent operation by the anti graft commission, we have come with invoices and other documents to prove to the commission that we are not in anyway engaged in hoarding of commodities at the Singer Market.
“We have proved beyond reasonable doubt that we don’t engage in such.
“Our problem is from the producers of the goods. They are the ones increasing the prices unconditionally. What we buy today is not what we will buy tomorrow.
“We have reached an agreement with the commission, that we are not going to increase the prices of goods even as we sell below company prices.
“We want Governor Abba Yusuf to address this issue by meeting with the producers to get to the root of the consistent increase in prices,” Danyaro told newsmen after the meeting.
Earlier, Magaji had assured that the commission would continue go after hoarders.
He explained that the commodities they found hoarded at the 10 sealed warehouses did not belong to traders in Singer market.
“They have promised to cooperate with the commission in ensuring that prices of goods are maintained or even reduced and would not rise any more.
“We are going to work with them to ensure that if the prices stabilise, we would make efforts to further reduce them for the good of the people of Kano state,” the anti-corruption Agency boss said.
