Ramadan: Kano Essential Commodities’ Dealers Pledge Price Stability
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Ahead of the forthcoming Ramadan fast, dealers of essential commodities at the Singer Market, Kano, have pledged to ensure the stability of prices of foodstuff, especially rice, sugar and noodles.
The Ramadan fast is expected to commence either on March 11 or March 12,2024, according to the Islamic calendar.
The dealers made the pledge on Monday shortly after their meeting with the Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado at his office.
They told newsmen that as part of the agreement reached during the meeting, they would halt the incessant increase of essential commodities to enable the people to access goods at affordable rates.
Alhaji brahim Danyaro who spoke on their behalf said they would be selling the commodities at old rates while resisting the temptation to increase the prices incessantly.
Danyaro said presently, the dealers are selling their wares at rates below current company prices, but that they would continue to sell at those prices till they exhausted their stocks.
He said that during the meeting, the dealers were also able to convince the commission that they were not hoarding goods as earlier believed.
He said rising prices of commodities being recorded in the market “is not arbitrarily done by our members. This development is brought about by the manufacturing companies. And we suggested measures to address the situation at hand.
“One of them is for the commission to hold similar meeting with the manufacturers of these commodities to find out the reason for the price increase
“We have expressed our resolve to cooperate with the commission to bring down prices of commodities to bring succour to the people. However, this, we can only do with the stocks we have at hand now. The prices for we sold our stock in the market is not up to the current company prices,” Danyaro said.
Corroborating Danyaro, another market leader, Hamisu Rabi’u assured the residents of maintaining the old prices of the stocks at hand against the skyrocketing prices being experienced in markets across the state.
On his part, the Chairman commended the traders for their readiness to make contribution by reducing prices of their commodities.
Rimingado promised to intimate Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf with the resolutions of the meeting with the traders, adding that he would hold similar meeting with company owners to see how they could beat down the soaring prices of goods.
The dealers’ pledge came less than 24 hours after the commission’s operatives led by the Chairman sealed about ten warehouses containing foodstuff at the Dawanau International Grains Market, as part of efforts to check hoarding and incessant rise in prices of foodstuff in the state.
