Domestic users decry high cost of charcoal in Anambra

Residents of Anambra have expressed worry about the high cost of charcoal and kerosene in the area.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka on Friday that many families were finding it difficult to cope with the situation.

A dealer in charcoal, Mrs Ngozi Okoye, said that a bag sold for N1,600 two months ago now cost N2,500 while a small measure now sells for N150 as against N100.

Okoye said that many people had resorted to using charcoal for cooking in place of kerosene due to its high cost but regretted that the price of charcoal had suddenly gone up.

Mrs Chinwendu Okezie, who sells boiled corn, said that the increase in price had made her business to slow down.

“Instead of using N150 charcoal to boil corn, I now buy N400 worth of charcoal and I have no choice than to increase the price of my own items,” Okezie said.

She said that many people would be out of business if the government failed to check the rising price of the product.

Another respondent, Mrs Amala Edeh, a housewife, said that she had found solace in using charcoal stove for cooking as she could not afford cooking gas.

Edeh said that since the price of kerosene went up, people resorted to using charcoal as a viable alternative.