Market women link high price of Garri to Fulani herdsmen attacks in Edo, Delta farms
Fresh angle has emerged on why the market price of Garri, Nigerian’s leading staple ‘swallow’ food had been on the rising trend in the last few months even as other domestic foodstuffs are on the downward stretch.
Outcries from almost every market woman dealing on Garri across Lagos State major markets fingered the incessant harassment of Cassava farmers in Edo and Delta States by Fulani Herdsmen. Investigations further revealed massive destruction of Cassava farms within the region, meaning that the price of the product will continue on rising trend for long.
The axis is the leading producer of the foodstuff and majority of Lagos supplies originate from both states.
They revealed that associated killings and fears have forced farmers to abandon their farms, leaving their crops especially Cassava to be ravaged by rampaging Cattles who are in their hundreds within the region and farm belt.
Before the new angle, indigenous flour manufacturers had been seen as the main cause behind the unexplainable rising cost of Garri, but further enquiries showed that the cause of the hike in price of Garri has no business with local flour producers, but panic caused by killings perpetuated by the herdsmen.
Tour of several popular foodstuff markets in Lagos including Mile 12, Oyinbgo, Iyanoba and Oshodi showed that price of the commodity has suddenly climbed to roof top in a manner that remains very hard to explain.
Currently, a paint of Garri that usually cost about N300 has jumped up to N1,100 while half of it which was sold at N150 or N200 before the end of April is now N600 along the streets and smaller markets.
Attempts to push the high cost to impacts of recession failed as all other foodstuff are experiencing gradual drop in prices.
But some of the major dealers at Ketu Mile 12 market said farmers are now farming with fears of being killed, thus creating a scenario that is discouraging more investments in Cassava farming within the belt known for its high potential in the product.
Industrial analysts say high quality cassava flour is simple unfermented cassava flour and it is better than wheat. The desire to reduce dependence on importation and conservation of foreign exchange has increased the Federal Government’s drive to source for local alternatives to partially or fully substitute imported goods. Wheat flour substitution becomes utmost priority especially with the price of wheat in the international market is becoming unbearable.
Research institutes such as International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) has for years researched on developing processed based technology to mechanize and produce high quality cassava floor. This has led to the development and of the process technology for production of High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) suitable for partial substitution of wheat.
FIIRO has demonstrated that bread and confectioneries baked with 10% cassava flour inclusion in wheat flour compared favourably with those baked with 100% wheat flour.
It would be recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan had driven the campaign for the use of cassava flour in producing bread which reached the height of eating bread produced with cassava flour during one of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings.
