Gov Sani Bello Calls For Produce Price Regulations

…Connects Bida On 33 KVA Transmission Line

By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna

Against the spiral increase in the prices of foodstuff in markets across the state, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state is championing the return of produce price control mechanism to ensure a stable price regime and to protect the farmers.

Governor Bello said a somewhat regulated price system for farm produce would not only protect the farmers but equally insulate end users from the unmodulated activities of Shylock bulk purchasers and middlemen.

Governor Bello stated this at Edozhigyi during his visit to Gbako Local Government Area of the state as part of his ongoing tour of local government councils in the state.

While inspecting Fadama Projects in the area, Governor Bello noted that farmers were not getting better bargains for their produce, a development he said had led to poor pricing and lesser value to the real farmer at the end of each season.

He argued that having a price control system for agricultural produce across the state, would allow for a stable price, check the vagaries and uncertainty in the fluctuating market places and help to determine better values for farm produce.

He said unequal, unilateral and indiscriminate pricing of farm produce have always left most farmers worst off and at receiving end. He said there was the need to therefore ensure that the farmer gets a good price for his sweat, energy, stress and resources plaughed into his farm. “Selling at unregulated prices would not be of benefit to farmers” he reasoned.

The Governor recalled that last year, lots of people from outside the state flooded into the state to buy off rice at knocked out prices from farmers. “This must be controlled. We must design some price control mechanism because this is the only way to get value for what our farmers produced.”

He reasoned that if there is no price control, and people sell at different prices, at the end of the day, farmers will not get the right value for their efforts. “We want to protect our farmers” he said.

Governor Bello said farmers and the state government should convulate to determine good prices for farm produce so that buyers especially those coming from outside would not under price and cheat the farmer.

“If the prices are the same everywhere, farmers would get value for their efforts and pride in their work”. He enjoined farmers in the state to look at the possibility of having a harmonized price mechanism for their farm produce.

Governor Bello cautioned communities against tree logging either for wood or for fuel. He said the practice was dangerous to humanity and the environment.

Meanwhile, Governor Bello has directed that Bida town and it’s environs be migrated from the present grid of 11KVA of electricity supply to the town to a higher 33 KVA with immediate effect to check the persistent blackout and poor power supply to the area.

During his visit to Bida, Governor Bello was confronted with barrage of complaints from communities within the local government.

Spokesman for the communities and Shettiman Nupe, Alh. Bagudu Shettima cried out for the Governor’s prompt intervention and indeed he got the Governor’s listening ears.

The Governor directed the state’s Commissioner for Works, Abdulmalik Cheche to assess the cost of the migration and it’s prompt actualisation.