Eid-el-Fitr: Traders lament low patronage in Bauchi

Few days to the 2022 Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, transactions in some major markets in Bauchi and environs were at low ebb.

A check by the News Agency  of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday at Muda Lawal, Wunti and Cetral markets showed that prices of dresses and other textile materials had shot up by over 100 per cent amid low patronage of the products.

NAN reports that patronage did not reflect the usual bustling that characterised festivities, a situation the traders attributed to the prevailing harsh economic condition.

Prices varied depending on the quality of the products as a 10 yards brocade was sold between N25,000 and N35,000 as against its old price of N15,000 and N25,000.

Similarly wrapper materials were sold between N7,500 and 30,000 as against  its previous price of N3,500 and N15,000, respectively.

Also, prices of children wears indicated similar increase as a set of dress was sold at N7,500 as against N3,500, it sold last festive season.

Some of the traders said they were not making good sales as against the trade boom witnessed in the previous season.

Alhaji Sabo Inuwa, a textile dealer, said the sales of textiles products had dropped drastically amid low demand of the clothing materials for the festivities.

“We had stocked of assorted textile materials such as brocade, wax, lace, among others, however, the sales are low as against the same period last year.

“However, few items are enjoying appreciable patronage such as Hijab and children wears,” he said.

Another traders, Ismaila Jammare and Mrs Veronica Emmanuel, who corroborated earlier opinion, attributed the situation to the low purchasing power of the people.

Jammare said that most of the customers cut their spending during the festive season, adding that most families could not afford exorbitant prices at the market.

“Most people are willing to buy the materials on credit, and it is not all customers that are credit worthy,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the market condition would improve in the next coming days.

For his part, Ahmed Aliyu, a resident, said that he bought new set of dresses for his children while he and his wife would wear their old clothes during the festivities.

“Many parents could not afford new clothes for their children during Salah celebrations due to harsh economic realities across the globe,” he said.