Prices of smoked fish stable in Jigawa

The prices of smoked fish have maintained stability for over five weeks in a row at Hadejia Fish Market in Jigawa.

A check in the market on Friday revealed that the price of a big carton of smoked fish remained between N20,000 and N21,000 since late January.

Similarly, a medium carton of fish was going for between N17,000 and N18,000, while a small carton cost between N14,000 and N15,000 within the period under review.

Alhaji Haruna Shuaibu, the Chairman, Fish Sellers Association at the market, attributed the stability to market equilibrium.

“For over five weeks now, there has not been any significant change in either the supply of fish or its demand by customers.

“So I think the prices have remained constant because of this balance,” he said.

Shuaibu denied the allegation that some of his members used Gamalin 20, a pesticide, in the preservation of fish.

The chairman said, “This cannot be true. Our usual way of preserving fish is smoking them and we have not changed that.

“None of our members will ever try the dangerous practice in this market because he or she knows that there will be sanctions if caught.’’

Shuaibu, however, said that some of the problems the fish sellers encounter at the market were flooding and burglary, which is mainly at night.

He appealed to the local government to install solar light polls in the market to deter criminals from breaking into their shops.

He also urged the council to sand fill the market premises to control flooding which damaged fish every rainy season.