The price of cassava flakes (garri) has risen up to 95% in Enugu State.

Garri, a Nigerian staple food has jumped up in price in some major Enugu markets, according to a survey made by the Newsmen on Saturday.

A correspondent, who visited some market traders selling the no.1 essential flake in Nigeria reports that the prices of white and red garri respectively had increased by about 90 percent.

Some of the traders attributed that the price hike is as a result of scarcity of cassava due to off-season of the tuber.

Miss Felicia Ozoemena, a garri seller at Newmarket, said that the price of a 4.5 litres bucket of white garri that was initially sold for N350 is now N650, while same litres bucket of red garri goes for N900 as against the previous price of N550.

Another garri dealer at Garki market, Mr Uche Igwesi disclosed that a bag of garri previously selling at N14,000 is now selling at N22,000.

“The prices of foodstuffs like garri are always high during planting season but during the harvest period, they become cheaper.

“Due to lack of facilities to preserve the produce after harvesting, many produce go bad, therefore, leading to prices hike,’’ Igwesi said.

Another seller at Mayor Market, who did not want to be identified, said that the increase in prices was because many people had left farming.

“When many farmers went into cassava farming in 2017, the price of garri dropped significantly,’’ she said.

A buyer at Ogbete Main Market, Mrs Ngozi Egwu, expressed worry at the sudden rise in the price of garri, adding that there is no much money in circulation.

“Surplus of cassava would definitely bring about crash in the price of garri if we all go into cassava farming’’

A farmer, Mr Onwuka Ndubisi urged the public to embrace cassava farming so that there would be surplus of garri in the next harvest season.

 

NAN