Traders Association Singer Market, Kano State on Monday pledged to reduce and stabilise prices of essential commodities in the state.

The Chairman of the Association, Ibrahim Danyaro, disclosed this to journalists on Monday in Kano.

He said this shortly after meeting with the Chairman of Public Complaints and Anti Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado.

The commission on Sunday burst and sealed 10 warehouses that allegedly hoarded assorted food items at Dawanau International Grains Market and Singer Market.

Mr Danyaro said, “We are going to work hand in hand with the commission to ensure that there is price control to ease life for people in Kano and beyond.’’

He stated that traders at the market were selling goods at lesser price than companies, assuring that they would try to maintain the current price from now till Ramadan and beyond.

He said, “We don’t increase prices of foodstuffs such as rice, sugar, milk and others.”

He explained that commodity dealers at Singer Market were not hoarding goods at the expense of consumers, saying that their goods at stores were always open for sale to customers.

He added, “We are pleased to inform you that following the recent operation by the anti-graft commission, we have come with invoices and other documents to prove to the commission that we are not in any way engaged in hoarding commodities at the Singer Market. We have proved beyond reasonable doubt that we don’t engage in such.

“Our problem is from the producers of the goods. They are the ones increasing the prices unconditionally. What we buy today is not what we will buy tomorrow. We have reached an agreement with the commission that we are not going to increase the prices of goods even as we sell below the company prices. We want Governor Yusuf to address this issue by meeting with the producers to get to the root of the consistent increase in prices.’’

Earlier, Rimin-Gado reassured that the commission would go after hoarders and would not relent in its efforts.

He explained that the commodities they found hoarded at the sealed warehouses did not belong to the businessmen at Singer Market.

“They have promised to cooperate with the commission in ensuring that prices of goods are maintained or even reduced and would not rise any more. We are going to work with them to ensure that if the prices stabilise, we would make efforts to further reduce them for the good of the people of Kano,” he said.

(NAN)