NAN-HE-22
Plantain
By Christian Ogbonna
Yenagoa, Dec. 6, 2016 (NAN) Roadside plantain roasters in Bayelsa have expressed worry over the increasing cost of palm oil and other ingredients that make up the sauce for the delicacy.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited some of the sellers in Yenagoa on Tuesday reports that although the cost of the raw plantain was dropping, the sauce was driving the delicacy out of the reach of the poor.
The roasters complained that the business was no longer flourishing even with the fall in the price of plantain bunches.
They claimed that some of their members had left the business due to the high cost of spices and palm oil.
One of the roasters, Mrs Ukaria Nlemibe, lamented the difficulty in growing the business and listed some of the ingredients as onions, tomatoes, seasonings, vegetables and pepper, among others.
“We did not just elect to sell the plantain at this high price; it is because of what we are passing through with the cost of spices in the market.
“We sold small piece of a roasted plantain between N50 and N70 but now it is between N100 and N120 while the big pieces previously sold for N80 or N100 is now selling at N150.
“Yes, there is a fall in the price of plantain bunches, but that is not just the issue because we spend money in so many things.
“The bunches are sold according to their sizes though the price is always fluctuating. A small bunch sells for between N300 and N600 while the big ones range from N1,000 to N2,000.
“I am telling you all these so that you will understand that setting up and growing the business is also expensive; remember that I have not even counted the cost of charcoal and the little shade we managed to secure.
“Charcoal is also costly since many homes have resorted to it for their cooking. I must tell you that a small size bucket of charcoal previously sold for N80 now sells for between N150 and N200,” she said.
On the price of palm oil, Nlemibe said a small bottle of oil that was sold for N200 in 2015 now went for between N700 and N800.
“The big bottle of oil previously sold for between N400 and N500 is now selling for between N1,300 and N1,500, a 20-litre keg goes for N16,000 while a 30-litre keg goes for between N21,000 and N23,000.
“So, with all these, you will understand with me that we are not making any damn huge gain out of the business,” she said.
Mrs Vivian Tonye, another roaster, said the business was no longer flourishing because they spent more and gained little due to the cost of spices.
“Our labour is not yet calculated, so you should not blame us on how we sell our items in order to survive, especially in this period of recession,” Tonye said.
Also speaking, Mr Solomon Chikwe, a palm oil dealer, explained that there was scarcity of the product, adding that the price increase was seasonal. (NAN)
OOC/MVO
(Edited by Mbadiwe Okwor)