News Investigators/ Cooking gas dealers in Pankshin, Plateau, are struggling with low patronage of the product amidst the current price hike.
Some managers of gas plants in the area, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Friday, attributed the low patronage to increase in price of the product.
Mr Charles Amedu, manager of JEFF Gas plant, said the recent price increase of gas was not only affecting the consumers, it was also affecting their business.
“Products that should take us one week to sell now take about three to four weeks, even at the price of N1,700, customers are complaining of not having money.
“Usually, on a market day like this, the whole place will be filled with cylinders for refill, we hardly have time for rest. But as you can see, everywhere is dry,” Amedu said.
According him, if the situation persists, it could cost some of them their jobs because the company has bills to pay, and some gas retailers have temporarily halted their services.
“Unlike any hike in petrol, people don’t have any alternative, even if the price increases, people will still manage to buy. But in our own case, they switched to charcoal and firewood,” he added.
“I am pleading with the government to reduce the price of cooking gas to help us remain in business and bring relief to the citizens as well,” Amedu said.
Also, Mr Raymond Dimlong, the Manager of HYCOPET Gas Plant, said sales had been poor for them lately due to the hike in the price of cooking gas.
“You can see how empty the place is. In fact, so many people have now resorted to charcoal as an alternative means of cooking due to the price increase in gas.
“Many gas plants are shutting down due to low patronage. You can’t sink your capital in a business and be paying workers salaries without much sales.
“Students were our major customers, but now we hardly see them, the price increase made people seek for other alternative means of cooking.
“I have been managing this business for years, I have never seen poor sales like this. You hardly see anyone coming to make full refill irrespective of the size of the cylinder,” Dimlong said.
On his part, Mr Geoffrey Gowol, a gas retailer, the increase in the price of cooking gas would not allow a business like his to thrive.
“We normally buy our products from the gas plant and add our little interest to it. But since the price increased, I suspended the business in the meantime.
“Nobody is willing to pay N1,900 for a kg, it took me time before I could sell the stock I was having, and I don’t want to take any risk and pain again,” Gowol said.
He expressed the belief that the increase in gas price could send many people out of business.
“Now that the government is encouraging small businesses, this would be a setback to their target,” he added.
He, therefore, urged the government for urgent intervention to reduce gas price and make it available as it was a household product used by many Nigerian homes.
According to him, the intervention will put them back in business and improve the lives of the citizens
NAN, however, reports that the price of cooking gas has started to drop with some filling plants in Jos metropolis selling for N1400 to N1500 per kg.
NAN
