The Association of Table Water Producers of Nigeria, Edo chapter has decried the recent hike in the cost of production materials for sachet water popularly known as “pure water’’.
Mr Mike Ogbebor, chairman of the association in the state said this in an interview with the Newsmen in Benin on Thursday.
Ogbebor said the increase in the cost of production materials was over 100 per cent and had led to increase in prices of sachet water.
He noted that a kilogramme of cellophane that was sold for N730 was now being bought for N1, 450.
“Package bags that we used to buy for between N4,000 to N5,000 is now being sold for N8,000 to N10,000 while we now buy treatment chemicals for N20,000 per bag as against N8,000 per bag’’.
The chairman said producers now sell a bag of 20 sachet water for between N140 to N150 to retailers as against N120 per bag sold previously.
He, however, said that producers would be forced to increase prices of table water at a higher margin if the cost of production materials continued to increase.
Reports state that retailers in Benin metropolis now sell sachet water for between N10 to N15 as against N10 previously sold.
A retailer, Mrs Miracle Osamu, who spoke to newsmen said she would continue to sell pure water for N10, adding that customers would not buy at a higher price.
“We used to buy five bags of sachet water for N550, but we now buy five bags for N750, if I continue to sell for N10 per sachet water, I will sell five bags for N1, 000.
“We learnt that the cost of production materials has gone up, but we have to sell at an affordable price so that we will not lose our customers”.