Why food items are expensive in Nigeria —Agric produce dealers

The high cost of food items and agro-allied products in the country, especially in the south-west region, has been blamed on a number of reasons, chief of which is the collection of multiple taxes and levies by all manner of government agencies and individuals.

The Nigeria Association of Agricultural Produce Dealers (NAAP, D) made the accusation at an interactive programme held in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Lagos, saying the manner by which members of the association are being subjected to all manner of levies, especially on highways, markets and motor parks on their goods is highly discouraging.

They claimed that, though, Federal Government had a policy against illegal multiple taxes and levies on agricultural produce and agro allied products in the country, its implementation is still a real challenge.

The Chairman of the association, South West Zone, Prince Bakare Adeyinka, who gave the indication at the sensitisation programme, emphasised that the collection of these numerous levies at various points in addition to high cost of transportation and other logistics had artificially pushed prices of food items and agro allied products in the south west up to 100 per cent or more over what is obtainable in the northern region of the country.

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“And at times, most of our products, especially perishable items get rotten on transit due to delay from road blocks by these illegal toll collectors on the highways,” he stressed.

He therefore called on the three tiers of government to support the association in Lagos State and south-west region as a whole to jointly eliminate artificial problems causing high cost of food items in the local markets, saying doing contrary would continue to have multiplier effect on the masses.

He promised that the association would do everything possible to ensure that enough agro allied products get to local markets in the zone but that government would need to scrap the numerous levies on the roads.

In his own speech, Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Paul Oranachi, gave assurance that government would ensure illegal levies as identified by NAAPD would be eliminated.

He said but a committee involving all stakeholders would need to be set up for the purpose of enforcement and that Ministry of Justice would also be involved for legal backing.