An economist, Alhaji Mohammed Umar has responded to agitations by some people in Zamfara State, asking the government to establish a price control board.
In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST in Gusau, the State capital, Umar explained that in a capitalist economy, the government does not determine prices of foodstuffs.
“The prices of foodstuffs can only be determined by the farmers; the farmers know how much they invested in the cause of producing the foodstuffs.
“Agricultural inputs and transporting the produce from the farmlands to the markets must be put into consideration, which will determine how much the farmers can peg their prices.
“What the people should be appealing to the State government is to subsidize the prices of agricultural inputs so that farmers can farm with ease and sell at affordable prices.
“People should not be deceived because that agitation would not be actualized.
“Another solution would be to put more pressure on the government to design a way of ending the insecurity situation in the State so that farmers can access their farmlands without fear of being killed or kidnapped by bandits”, he said.
He further stated that there is no doubt that the high cost of living was caused by the activities of the bandits in the State, pointing out that advising the government to constitute a price control board would not solve the problem.
“Everyone in the State knows very well that the prices of foodstuffs have continued to escalate on a daily basis,” he noted.
Umar called on the government to consider the plights of both the farmers and the consumers by redoubling its efforts and finding a lasting solution to the teething problem of insecurity in the State.
