Kerosene scarcity pushes price of firewood up

Asaba –  With the scarcity of  kerosene in Asaba and its environs,  firewood, which was seen as a cheaper alternative, has also  become expensive.

There had been reports of high price of  the product  across the country due to its  unavailability.

In the Delta capital, a litre of  kerosene currently sells at N150 in  filling stations while costing  between  N200 and N500 in the various  black market spots  in the city.

But firewood which many residents had resorted to has also witnessed a steady rise in price.

Investigation revealed that a small bundle of eight pieces of  firewood, which was sold at N350 toward the end of  2010, currently sells at between N500 and N600.

The same quantity of firewood, it was gathered, was sold at between N250 and N300 in  2010 and at between N150 and N200 in 2009.

A firewood seller in Asaba, Mrs Nedi Onodu, attributed the increasing price of  firewood to the current high demand for it by residents.

Besides, she explained that the increasing demand for firewood  by users had put  pressure on the sellers, leading to upsurge in demand from our suppliers.

She said the bulk of  the firewood being sold in Asaba came from neighbouring Onitsha in Anambra, adding that dealers were rationing their stock to meet increasing demand.

“Even with the reduced quantity that we now get from Onitsha due to the rationing, our suppliers have increase the price of the firewood as demand for it increases,’’ Onodu said.

She, however, said that the rush for firewood had reduced, adding that the  business was still booming.

Some firewood users in Asaba said  that they resorted to it due to the scarcity and  high price  of  kerosene.

“ Now that the price of firewood has also started going up, we have started going to the bush and building construction sites to look for it,” Mrs Fumnanya Ijeuwa, a civil servant, said.

Two women, who were spotted  buying firewood at Issele-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area, said the purchase may be their last as they  would resort to charcoal.

Mrs Agnes Iwu and the other buyer,  who only identified herself as Juliana, said  they had discovered that charcoal was cheaper.

Apart from Asaba and Issele-Uku, the high price of  firewood was also noticeable in  Agbor, Ogwashi-Uku, Akwukwu-Igbo and other communities in the area. (NAN)