Farmers Decry High Transportation Cost As Threat To Livelihood

As Nigeria faces soaring transportation costs due to the fuel crisis, stakeholders especially farmers in the agricultural sector have lamented over the impending threat of poor sales as the crisis intensifies.

This was disclosed by the Chairman, Yam Traders Union, Bwari Central Market, Abuja, Mrs. Amina Haruna, who commented on the adverse effect of the on-going situation on their fortunes.

Haruna particularly cited yam as one of the produce that has witnessed substantial drop in sales due to increased cost of transportation from the farms to the market which had affected the price, as traders had to hike up their prices in order to avoid losses and make some profit.

“Yam is our main food; we cannot continue to meet the growing demand at present within the area due to increased cost of transportation. It takes time to transport yams from the farm to the market and by the time we arrive they would have gone bad, thereby reducing the value in the market” she said.

Although yam is a major agricultural farm produce mostly cultivated by farmers in the area, the difficulty in conveying them to the markets has become a challenge which threatens the livelihood of the farmers as they record loss to spoilage if not transported for preservation or sales from the farms.

“This business is our only means of sustaining livelihood, especially at the home front for the 150 members that make up the Yam Traders Union in this market.” She stated.

Haruna urged the local council authority to assist them through the provision of adequate  vehicles to transport their yams from the farm to promote the growth of the business.