Grains dealers at the Dawanau International Grains Market in Kano State have reduced the prices of grains to ease the suffering experienced by people in the state.
The chairman of the Dawanau Market Development Association in Kano State, Alhaji Muttaka Isah, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday.
He said that the association’s decision to slash prices was also to boost sales, as dealers in the international market had been lamenting low patronage for some time now.
“If you go round the market now, you will notice that the prices of grains such as maize, guinea corn, millet and beans have been reduced compared to what it used to be about two weeks ago.
”A bag of maize now sells for about N53,000, as against the old price of N60,000, while that of guinea corn now sells for N49,000, as against the former price of N55,000, depending on the quality.
”Also, a bag of millet, which used to go for N60,000, now costs N53,000 and that of beans now costs between N85,000 and N90,000, as against the old price of between N95,000 and N100,000, depending on quality,” Muttaka said.
He also disclosed that a bag of soya beans now sells for N65,000, as against N68,000 before, while a bag of sesame seed which used to sell for N225,000 now costs N220,000.
He further said that a big bag of local rice, which was hitherto sold for between N110,000 and N115,000 was now being sold for between N95,000 and N100,000 while that of wheat now sells for N60,000 as against N63,000.
The chairman noted that sales of foodstuffs in the market had dropped due to the present economic situation in the country, which he said had adversely affected customers’ purchasing power.
He appealed to the Federal Government to provide subsidised fertiliser and other farm implements to farmers to achieve food security.
Dawanau International Grains Market is the biggest in West Africa, supplying goods to customers in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, among others.
It also stores crops such as Sobo, Sesame Seeds, Tamarind and Soybeans which are exported to Asia and Europe, and other global markets.
