In a state of frenzy, Arochukwu women besieged the Central Market yesterday (Tuesday, March 31), in a last minute rush to purchase and stockpile food, to beat the deadline for the lockdown.
Not a few Aro residents dubbed the rush as ‘Nkwo Nzukoro’, reminiscent of the last market day purchases, done in preparation for the annual Ikeji festival.
Abia State government had announced a one-week lockdown commencing April 1, 2020, as part of measures to forestall and contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
Reports say the women, arriving in the market, were confronted with the rude shock of astronomical prices of staple foodstuff.
Garri, rice, beans, fufu, yam and plantain were the items mostly sought after. Others were cooking oil, smoked fish, isi okporoko, egusi, ogbono, achi, crayfish and dry pepper.
Prior to the rush, three cups of garri sold for N100, but it was a different ball game on Tuesday.
Residents said garri sold at the normal price in the morning hours, but doubled in price (N200 for three cups) in the afternoon. But sadly, the staple got exhausted by late afternoon, eliciting anxiety on the part of buyers. It left women running helter-skelter for alternative – fufu.
But fufu has not proved to be a suitable alternative to garri, as it can only be preserved for one or two days before it gets bad. Yet the lockdown – without buying and selling – is for a period of one week, in the first instance.
Rice added extra N1000 for a bushel measure, while an average bunch size of plantain sold for N900, up from N400 before the rush.
Indeed across board, there were reports of hike in the prices of most staple food items in Arochukwu.
Reports also indicated similar trend in other communities and cities in the State.