Amid the EndSARS protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, which follow complaints of brutality, extra-judicial killing and bad governance, farmers and produce dealers have been counting their losses, with millions of nairas’ worth of fresh foods ruined in the chaos.
Narrating the effects of the incident in Kano, Sani Danladi-Yadakwari , chairman of the Tomato Growers Association of Nigeria’s Kano State chapter, lamented that recent events had crippled farming and trading activities and would likely disrupt dry season farming in the north.
The chairman called on the government for an urgent intervention in order to bring the unrest under control and assist those affected during the protests, adding that tomato farmers had suffered the destruction of over 10,000 crates of tomatoes during the attacks in the South-East.
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“We have recorded huge economic losses since the protest started across the country. Unfortunately, five of our trucks had already loaded to supply tomatoes to the South-East when the crisis started.
“We have lost no fewer than 10,000 plastic crates of tomatoes as the five vehicles were stuck in the middle of the crisis and the vehicles were burn. This development will definitely affect our market and economy. In fact, many farmers will not engage in dry season production because of this development.”
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Umar Basiru, chairman of the Onion and Other Perishable Items Association at Bayankara in Birnin-Kebbi, disclosed that farmers and produce dealers had so far lost over N20 million throughout the unrest.
He also said that they could neither transport their goods to Lagos nor bring items back from Lagos to Kebbi State.
“We are facing a lot of challenges because our people that were in Lagos cannot return and we cannot take our goods to Lagos of east for business, it has crippled our business.”
