Imported bananas take over Abuja markets

Imported banana, with low prices, has flooded Abuja markets, raising concerns about the country’s food security, the livelihoods of banana farmers and traders as well as the health of consumers.
An investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at various markets and supermarkets in Utako and Maitama districts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday revealed that the foreign bananas were conspicuously displayed on several shelves.
Even the roadside fruit hawkers were not left out, as they apparently gave more priority to displaying the foreign banana than the local variety.
The sellers and buyers, who spoke to NAN, said the imported bananas had received high patronage due to certain factors such as their fresh appearance, smooth skin, size, taste and lower prices.
Recent statistics indicate that Nigeria produces about 2.74 million tonnes of banana annually, making the crop one of the important staple crops in the country.
However, some of the sellers and consumers of the imported variety of banana said it was receiving high patronage because of its fresh look, packaging, size and taste.
A consumer, Aminu Danlami, said the imported banana was cheaper than the local species, adding that it also had a longer shelf-life when compared to the local banana.
However, Rachael Oke, another consumer, bemoaned the flooding of FCT markets with imported, low-priced fruits whose sources could not be easily ascertained.
Ms. Oke particularly frowned on banana importation, insisting that banana was cultivated in great quantities in many states across the country.
She emphasised that if the trend was not reversed, it could force thousands of banana farmers and traders out of business, while exerting more pressure on the shaky food security of the country.
One of the major banana importers at Utako market, who preferred anonymity, said he used to import bananas and other fruits from Togo, Cameroun and at times, Benin Republic; depending on the security situation and the prevailing currency exchange rates at different points in time.
He said his banana importation business was very lucrative because he had many retail outlets in Abuja, Lagos, Rivers, Kano and Kogi states, while the patronage for imported bananas was constantly increasing, when contrasted with that of the local variety.
“It is easier for me to import bananas than to import rice or vegetable oil because Customs (Nigeria Customs Service) will not disturb me.
“At times, I buy grains from Dawanu market in Kano and ferry them to Niger or Benin Republic or buy things from Taraba and take them to Cameroon. In those countries, I buy fruits and eggs for sales in my country,” he said.
A fruit distributor, Angulu Dangazuwa, said it was better for him to sell the imported bananas than the local banana variety.
“Hardly can you incur losses on it (imported banana) because it does not get spoilt easily; it sells faster and it is sweeter and readily available, if compared to the local variety,” he said.
Dangazuwa said a box of imported bananas with over 40 fingers cost about N2, 500, adding that a similar quantity of the local banana variety, which has a shorter shelf-life, costs about N3, 500.
A fruit seller at the Maitama Fruit Market, who simply identified himself as Abdulkareem, corroborated Dangazuwa’s viewpoint.
He, however, noted that despite the stated qualities of the imported banana, foreigners living in the country still had a preference for the local banana.
Uzordima, a banana farmer in Gwagwalada, noted that the growing craze for imported bananas has somewhat posed a serious threat to local banana farmers, their productivity and the country’s economy.
“For a big bunch of plantain which is supposed to be sold for N1,200 or a big bunch of banana that is supposed to be sold at N300; the middlemen would force you to sell them at N800 and N100 respectively,” he said.
He grumbled that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was apathetic towards the development, while the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had done little or nothing to prevent smugglers from saturating the country’s markets with imported fruits.
A source at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed that the government was worried over prevalence of imported fruits in markets across the nation’s capital.
The source, who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity, said the issue was fast becoming a national embarrassment and a threat to the food security programme of the government.
He said the government was working round the clock to curb the illegal importation of fruits into the country.
He said the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) is also working assiduously to monitor the importation of agricultural produce (plants, fruits and animals) into the country.
The source, however, noted that the agencies could not be too rigid with regard to efforts to regulate food imports because Nigeria was a signatory to the protocols of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The source said the ministry was striving to address the challenges hindering the efforts of farmers to boost their productivity.

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