In this part of the world, everything has its season. Naturally, during the season, the food is very common and handy, and it’s voraciously consumed by the people as much as they like.
In Delta State, this is the season of corn or maize, and it is found everywhere, and it is consumed either cooked or roasted. Corn, also known as maize, is a cereal grain that is widely cultivated and consumed globally. It is a staple food in many countries of the world, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
From available reports, corn is not a native of Nigeria or Africa. It is said to have migrated from Central America, especially in modern-day Mexico and Guatemala, several thousand years ago.
Corn was introduced to Africa by the Portuguese traders in the 16th Century, and it quickly became a popular crop in many African countries, including Nigeria, due to its high yield and nutritional value.
Today, corn is a major staple crop in Nigeria and many other African countries, playing a significant role in food security and economic development.
Unfortunately, however, corn, which used to be very cheap during this season, is no longer the cheap commodity that people used to know and talk about. It is no longer within the reach of the masses, with one corn selling for about N300, N500 or more. And this scarcity of corn in Nigeria has triggered widespread concern, with the majority of the people feeling the pinch.
Corn is a versatile crop that can be used for various purposes, including food, such as roasting it, cooking it, chewing it with coconut, pea, and also using it to prepare Akamu, Agidi, corn pudding, and even to cook beans or breadfruit, mostly in the eastern part of Nigeria. Corn is often used as feed for livestock, pigs and chickens, and it can also be used for some industrial products.
Unfortunately, this year, this all-important crop is getting out of reach of Nigerians, and the impact is being felt by the masses in various communities.
Lifestyle talked to some people, especially the dealers of corn, about why the scarcity of corn persists in Delta State and beyond.
Mrs Emelda Offili, a 43-year-old woman with five children, who sells cooked corn at Ogbeogonogo market in Asaba, the State Capital, described the high cost of fresh corn as something else, attributing it to high transportation costs from the village where they brought it from to the cities.
She also said that the high cost of kerosene, charcoal and firewood is a factor, stating that ‘’by the time you add up everything, the gain is no longer there or very little is realised’’.
She said that the sellers are not happy selling corn for N300-N500 depending on the size, but stated that that is the only way they can make a little gain to remain in the business.
Another seller, Mrs Winfred Ozor, a 32-year-old mother of two children, also said that the scarcity of corn this year can be attributed to a series of complaints by the farmers in the villages where they usually go for the corn.
She disclosed that apart from the transportation costs and charcoal, the farmers complain of an unusual type of pests (diseases) that eat up the corn, and this has affected the corn adversely, leading to low yield, this year.
Mrs Ozor also said that the Naira has no value any longer, and this has affected everything in the market as everybody tries to survive in society.
According to Mrs Ozor, a situation where she bought a bag of fresh corn between N25,000 to N30,000 depending on the size of the corn, then after paying for transport, cooking or roasting it with charcoal which is also very expensive, that the gain will be very minimal and that it is no worth the suffer or stress, but that they are still in the business because there is nothing else to do.
She said that everything is so expensive in the market now, not only the corn, adding that even other food stuff like yams, garri, potatoes, pepper and meat are also very expensive, adding that fish and meat are no-go areas in the country now. She lamented that people will soon starve to death as there is little or nothing to eat.
At the Midwifery market in Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta state, the story is the same. One Miss Nneka Amadi, who sells roasted corn, narrated why corn is expensive, saying the high cost of transportation, the cost of firewood or charcoal used in the corn business, has eaten up the gain or profit in the corn business.
She SAID that the only way to help the masses reduce the cost of food is for the government to find ways to reduce transportation and insecurities in the Country, adding that one leads to the other.
She said that if you remove all the expenses, what will be left will not be much to take home or even buy anything in the market and pleaded with the government to find a solution to the hardship in the Country. ‘’The suffering is too much’’, she lamented. She stressed that a situation where families cannot afford to have one or two square meals a day is very bad and worrisome.
Also speaking, Mr Gibson Ayodele, a businessman at the Midwifery market in Okpanam, said that the whole situation is painful, saying that even in the season of a particular food, it is still difficult to get that food or the food is expensive to buy, like the corn season. He added that the insecurity in the country is also affecting farmers from getting enough food for the masses, saying that the government is trying, but there is more to be done.
