Kerosene Scarcity: Demand For Charcoal Rises

The instability in the price and supply of kerosene in Cross River State has increased the demand for charcoal as alternative cooking fuel in the Calabar metropolis.

Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that the price of kerosene has remained at between N120 and N130 per litre in filling stations where the product was available.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mega filling station in the town, the only outlet where the commodity is sold at N50 per litre, has been without the product for quite sometime.

The situation gave rise to “black market” operation, forcing residents to buy the commodity at rates ranging from N150 to N180 per litre.

The scarcity of the product and its attendant high price, has also forced residents, especially restaurant operators, to resort to the use of charcoal for cooking.

A charcoal dealer in the capital, Mrs Elizabeth Omini, told NAN that the demand for charcoal had recorded remarkable increase in recent times.

Omini said that in spite of the increased demand for charcoal, the price had remained largely stable.

She added that a small basket of charcoal costs N200 while the big bag costs N1,800, adding: “We do not have the intention to increase the price.”

A restaurant operator, Mrs Stella Mbamalu, who said that she had yet to resort to the use of charcoal for her business, confirmed that many of her colleagues used charcoal as an alternative to kerosene.

“The cost of kerosene is really making our business difficult these days, particularly the roadside food sellers, popularly called ‘mama put,” she added.

A housewife, Mrs Hannah Ekaete, said: “I have been using firewood since the kerosene scarcity started but I know many people who now use charcoal. People are just using everything possible to survive.”