Tea, noodle and bean cake (akara or kosai) sellers in Kano State have reported a surge in their businesses as the harmattan season intensifies.

A visit to some parts of the city on Sunday showed that many residents are opting for hot tea, noodles, akara, pap (koko), and locust bean cake (awara) to combat the chilly weather.

Several vendors said the increase in patronage had translated into higher income.

A tea seller at Tarauni, Ali Musa, said that demand for hot tea had risen in the past three weeks.

“Most of our customers are commercial tricycle operators, students, and labourers. They start coming as early as 7: 00 a.m. to keep themselves warm,” Mr Musa said.

Another tea vendor in Fagge, Sami Yusuf, said that the demand had doubled in the last two weeks.

Mr Yusuf expressed satisfaction with the increase in his business, adding that he was seeing significant profits.

Mudi Saleh, who sells tea and noodles in Kumbotso, said he had to bring his brother from the village to help serve the increasing customers.

A cup of tea at his stall costs between N150 and N300 while a plate of noodles is fixed for between N450 and N600, depending on customer preferences.

A nother tea and noodle vendor in Gwale, Aminu Nura, also confirmed the rise in patronage.

He said that before the harmattan season, customers complained about the price of bread and the quantity of tea, but now they purchase more without complaints to warm up.

Maimuna Yunusa, who sells akara along Ahmadu Bello way, reported a noticeable increase in her sales.

“Before now, it was hard to sell all my stuff but now I sell everything in the morning,” she said.

A seller of awara and koko in Dakata, Halima Bashir, expressed similar satisfaction, saying that her sales doubled since the harmattan season began.

“The demand is high and sometimes I can’t keep up,” she added.

Customers also spoke about why they buy the foods.

A tricycle operator, Nura Zakaria, said that it was natural to frequent the vendors as temperatures continue to drop.

Another customer, Zubairu Abass, said that he now visited the vendors twice daily since the outset of the harmattan season.

A security guard, Adamu Abdullahi, explained that before harmattan, he occasionally visited the vendors.

However, since the season began, he said, he now visits almost daily to buy akara and koko. 

(NAN)