Perishable foodstuff traders suffer losses after heavy rains

Persistent heavy rain in perishable foodstuff production basins of the North West, South and the West region is causing enormous losses to traders in some markets in Douala.

A good quantity of leafy vegetables like green spices, huckleberry, cabbage and foodstuffs including Irish potatoes, cassava tubers and cocoyam rot before arriving at market places.

The famous Sandaga Market, known for selling fresh foodstuff is piled with heaps of rotten vegetables that went bad due to the persistent rains. Though traders in fresh foodstuff incur enormous losses, business must get going.

Most traders count losses in tens of thousands weekly. Ndonfack Clementine, a trader in the Sandaga Market said enormous losses is recorded especially when food items are harvested during rainfall. When packed in bags, she said, the long distances covered from production basins to the Sandaga market, coupled with heat contribute in damaging the items.

“I lost between FCFA 5,000 and FCFA 10,000 in every bag of Irish potatoes sold, and at times I incur a loss of up to FCFA 15,000 from a bag of onion,” she explained.

A good quantity of fruit vegetables like tomatoes and carrot takes few hours to decay when it comes in contact with a bit of water. Chopping off rotten leafs of leeks, reduces the quantity and consequently a drop in price. “It takes the Grace of God for one’s goods to arrive in good condition.

“I lost FCFA 2,000 in every bag of cabbage and at times, nothing is secured from it. Losing a bag of cabbage that cost FCFA 5,000 hurts,” Jacky Tsague, a fresh food trader, disclosed.

However, not all the fresh foodstuff are subject to decay, but traders are obliged to sell at normal prices. Should a trader increase prices because his/her items got decayed, it will be an added advantage to those who sell at normal prices, thus, traders just have to accept their losses, a trader chipped in.