Food safety, weights, measures and consumption patterns: The case of gari in Enugu and Benin markets
Sanni, L. O. PhD University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Onne, Nigeria Email:
[email protected]
* This paper was developed under a networked research programme funded by the UK Department for International Development. The paper provides the views of the authors only and not necessarily those of the other contributors to the programme or the funder. The Department for International Development can accept no responsibility for any information provided or views expressed.
March, 2005
INTRODUCTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION: LOCATION AND COMMODITY CHAIN CONTEXT 1.1 General context of study Cassava plays a very important role in Nigeria’s food security since majority of Nigerians eat cassava products at least once a day (Sanni, 2002). Cassava can be used to produce over thirty (30) products apart from the traditional foods – gari, fufu, tapioca, eka, usi (starch) products. The factors which militate against market development for cassava and its processed products include high processing and transport costs, absence of strong farmer (Onye Olu Ugbo)/processor organizations and information system, restricted access to credit and other processing inputs. Inefficiency of the input supply market and inadequate development in institutional capacity and human capital formation are major factors inhibiting the growth of agribusiness enterprises in Nigeria (Sanni et. al., 1999; Dipeolu et. al, 2002). Presently, some of the dry processed food products from cassava (such as gari and fufu flour) are known to be finding their ways to emigrant Nigerian communities in United States and Europe (Dipeolu et. al., 2001). A previous needs assessment study conducted by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture between April to August 2004, and geospatial study conducted by IITA gari was rated as number one preferred staple from cassava products and in all the urban markets in Nigeria (Phillips et. al., 2004; Sanni et. al., 2004abc). The major gaps noted in this study are the issues of gender/ethnicity, transport, credit, security, market space, food safety and weights and measures. It is opined that this project provides an opportunity to examine these issues and build on existing knowledge of the marketing system for gari and examine whether the urban poor is excluded as gari has gained prominence in all the urban centres of Nigeria. An understanding of the issues identified in this study will provide policy makers a better view for ensuring that improving market access for the rural and urban poor to safeguard their food security. As a team, the general focus of gari marketing in Benin and Enugu City of Nigeria are: • Explore issues pertaining to gari commodity chain, market information, credit, gender/ethnicity • Examine issues on transport, market space and security • Examine issues on food safety, measures, and consumption of gari This report focussed on specific areas of food safety, measuring system, and standards, roles of regulatory agencies, role of association and consumption pattern of gari in the market. Therefore this study will: 1. Examine the conduct and performance of institutions in the gari market in Enugu, and BeninCity 2. Identify the various weights and measures in the gari markets 3. Examine the issues of food safety, quality (Okachanma) and regulations in the gari market 4. Enumerate consumption patterns of gari in Benin and Enugu markets 5. Highlight the interplay of actors and institutions in the market and how this influence the access of the poor to the market 1.2 Contributions of this study to understanding market access and food supply for the poor Gari is widely consumed in rural and urban areas in Nigeria, especially among poor households. It is a cheap and ready source of vital energy among these categories. It was a poor man’s crop but now elevated to an urban convenience food. Gari is produced following harvesting of cassava, peeling, grating, dewatering, fermentation (optional), sieving, frying and bagging. This process will give white or creamy white gari while addition of palm oil prior to dewatering, we add yellow color to gari. Gari is
commonly consumed either by soaking in cold water with sugar, coconut, roasted peanut, fish, or boiled cowpea as complements or as a paste made with hot water and eaten with vegetable sauce. Handling of gari has some implications to safety, equity to consumers and weights, quality and standards, so, there has been some previous attempts to understand marketing of gari. In those studies, gari business attracts different set of actors at farm gate, village market, peri and urban-market (Porter et. al. 2004). Also, most of the arrangements for the sales of gari have serious implications of the poor consumers and processors. The location of gari markets and distribution systems can affect poorer consumers differentially. Apart from this, direct organisation of various actors may also positively or negatively, affect the poor resource processors, traders, retailers, and restaurants owners in terms of selling right quantity and quality gari at affordable prices and making expected profit. A thorough understanding of major issues of quality, common weight and measures, handling and regulations will provide policy makers a better view for ensuring that adequate and safe foods are available to urban and rural consumers. 2.0 METHODOLOGY A purposive rapid rural appraisal (RRA) was used to generate information in Oba market, Oredo Local Government and Ekiuwa market (major village market) in Benin City and New Market (gari market) in December 2004 and January 2005. A team of three multi disciplinary Scientists (Food Technologist, Food Nutritionist, and Community developmental worker) carried out the interview with gari producers, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants owners, drivers, health inspectors and local government authorities over a period of 2 market days. The team visited, interviewed (At least, a set of 3 to 7 members were interviewed in each group) and captured information using a set of designed checklists which was based on personal experience, literature review and peer comments of overall scientists in the DFID Marketing Network’s meeting held in December, 2004 in Abuja. Snowballing approach was employed during interview and this was supported with rapid observations and social interactions within and outside the market premises targeting marketing women, hawkers, drivers, local authorities, inspectors and passer by. Some of the government regulators were interviewed at the state and federal government level in Nigeria. The regulators were staffers of ministry of health, environmental health officer, standards organisation of Nigeria, and Nigerian Administration for Food and Drug Administration Council respectively. Data analysis was mainly qualitative seeking trends and patterns emerging from the data. Additional data was collected after comments were received from Project Coordinators on the initial draft report. These additional data were used to explore in greater details the emerging patters and trends from the data.
2.1 Positionality of the Researcher For some decades, I have been privileged to work on cassava processing. With an interest in seeking an understanding to upgrade traditional processing, quality and distribution of local, wholesome, safe and affordable products at a good profit to the producers and traders. My years of service as a Food Technologists and thereafter as a developmental scientists has given me a bias towards quality, standards, weights of cassava products and interplay by producers, processors, traders and consumers in studying and discussing development issues relating to cassava.
3.0 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS a. Location of study Location The markets are major assembly market for gari in South East and South south Nigeria. Enugu is in South East geopolitical zone dominated by the Igbos. The state has an estimated population of about 3.2 million and landmass of about 12,727 sq. km and boundaries with Abia and Imo States in the South, Benue and Kogi States in the North and Ebonyi State in the East and Anambra State in the West. New market is located in a strategic location with average population of atleast 0.5m people. The market is well equipped with good road network. At Enugu, the traditional Institution does not have the same influence on market control like in Benin City. Edo State is bounded in the South by Delta and Bayelsa States, in the East by the River Niger and Anambra State, in the North and North East by Kogi State and in the West by Ondo State. The total land area is about 19,035 square kilometres with a population of about 2,500,000. Benin City is in the South South zone with mixture of many tribes but most influenced by the Binis and are subjects to the Oba of Benin. The market is located close to the Oba palace and Eredo Local government with average population of at least 0.5m people. The market is well equipped with good road network. 3.1 General characteristics of gari marketing chain Market participants Table 1 summarises the key actors and their roles in the gari market. This study focussed mainly on the wholesalers, retailers, itinerant sellers, packaging/baggage handlers, stall owners, market association and Local government operating in the Markets at Enugu and Edo State, Nigeria. Table 1: Key actors and relativity of gari market in Benin and Enugu City Nigeria Key actor
Local term
Role
Bulk purchasers (wholesalers)
Nrekota n’ukwu
Buys larger quantities usually for many processors or other forms of arrangements
Porters/Loader
Ndi oburu, barrow
Assists in packing, loading and offloading goods for a fee
Drivers
Okwo Transfer gari from assembly ugbo, Ina- markets to urban markets aga Onye Okwo Ugbo Convert cassava roots to gari
Processors
Retailers
Ewmekew en
Restaurant/bukateria owners Families
Ulonri
Gender
Ethnic group
Relative wealth/poverty Men (Um unwoke) Igbos, Binis Relatively poor, very Women (Umunwanyi) Itshekiri, low ability to absorb Youth Urhobo, Yoruba, disasters Widows Hausa, Ijaws Men, youth. Women Igbos Poor are involved in Binis packaging Itshekiri Urhobo Mainly men for Igbos Poor for nonmotorised transport Binis motorised, increasing Itshekiri order of wealth with Urhobo level of motorised transport
Men, women, youth at Igbos different stage of Binis processing Itshekiri Urhobo Buys small quantities - Men, Women, youth Igbos sometimes in a deferred Binis payment arrangement with a Itshekiri wholesaler or processor Urhobo Buy gari and cook for sale to Men and Women All tribes customers Buy gari for home All categories All tribes
Relatively poor
Relatively poor
Poor-Rich Poor-Rich
Stall owners
Ahia
Trader Associations (These set of groups is not processors but their job is to facilitate marketing.)
Otu
Market Administration Any other? Local Government Unions (NURTW, Loaders etc) Security Outfit
consumption Provides space for sellers and wholesalers to keep wares either temporarily or on longer term basis They dictate and negotiate prices and rates, represents their respective groups.
Mainly men
Igbos Binis
Rich
All categories
All tribes
Poor-Rich
Men, Women
Igbos Binis
Rich
Build market, roads, tolls, taxes, utilities Dictate transport fares and tax on goods to be transported
Men
Igbos Binis Igbos Binis
Rich
Maintain security at markets, settle unrests
Men
Igbos Binis
Poor
Collect tolls, rules/regulations Ochichi Obodo
taxes,
Men
Poor
The major key actors-processors, retailers, producers, restaurant owners, regulatory agencies, local authority were interviewed as shown in Table 2.
4.0 STUDY FOCUS Gari market chain Figure 1 depicts gari marketing channels in Benin and Enugu. Gari business in Benin city and New market Enugu was found to be between cassava producers, assemblers, wholesalers and retailers and are within 20 and 45 years old and mainly dominated by women of mixed marita l status and at least primary school leavers. Gari is processed from cassava at the village in different homes and processing centres and bagged in 25kg each before being carried to the assemble market where various gari traders (wholesalers and retailers) mostly women come and buy 90% of the materials and taken to the urban market. Most processors/producers of gari sell in 25kg bag of gari and they sell 10-40 bags per week. Over 85% of the producers reported that they produced gari based on consumer demands while the remaining 15% of the people interviewed claimed that they produced gari daily whether there is market or not. Gari retailers purchased gari from producers or wholesalers and sell to consumers in mostly in basin and plastic rubber. On a good market week, traders sold 1-6 bags per week on good occasion. Majority of gari retailers purchased gari from processors in the village market or a day before the market day in the urban market or at the point of processing. Most of the gari traders sell up to 30 bags of yellow or white gari per week. Gari traders at Enugu market sell minimum of 1-2 bags daily and after removing the cost of transportation, some traders make profit (Uru) margin of N1600 per day where handling cost is between N1000-N1200 depending on the destination of purchase and season. Traders are in the market every day except the day of assembly market which usually comes in 5 days interval or day of attending social activities like marriage ceremonies, burials or church affairs. Relatively, they are satisfied since it is solving family problems, pay for sisters and brother school fees and fending for their parents including taking care of other needs. Farmer Fresh Tuber/Gari
Producers
Village assembly market
Assembly/Bulking market (WS, TR, PO, ASSN, Regu)
Fresh tubers
Urban processors
Urban market (WS, TR, PO, ASSN, Regu)
Urban market
Wholesale
Restaurants
Retail
Households
Figure 1: Commodity chain of Gari in Enugu and Benin City markets
Consumer
Effectiveness of gari market association There is a difference in the composition and functionality of market associations in Enugu and Benin_City. In Benin City, gari producers provided information that there is no organised platform to regulate gari bus iness but they have localised arrangement on the allocation of space for selling of gari as explained above. Already, they are fed up of so many taxes and rent charges. They paid heavily to secure a small space or pair with a shop owner who may be selling other commodities like rice, beans, yam etc. Apart from paying to shop owners, they also pay local tariff and taxes to local government authority [Oredo Local Government Council, Edo State, Hawker’s and Squatter’s permit-Ayo Igiebor & Idiaghe G @ N50; Oredo Local Government Council, Benin City, Edo State, Squatters/Hawkers Revenue Collection ReceiptN20,000; Oredo Local Government Council Authorised Contractor Oba Market Environmental Sanitation @N20 per day]. However, they informed that they are aware of Ca ssava Processors Association of Nigeria facilitated by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria and they are interested in joining the state chapter anytime. They are hopeful that joining such organisation will reduce some of the constraints confronting them. Some processors at Enugu New Market informed the team that they have gari sellers/dealers association which serves as umbrella for processors, retailers and wholesalers of gari, which has its normally monthly meeting to discuss about gari business in general. Memberships are drawn from those that patronise the new market at Enugu. This organisation is headed by a woman president with other members of the executive council, who are selected by gari sellers/dealers themselves. The organisation had its yearly meeting every December to prepare for the New Year. The association served as a platform to share information about the market situations vis-àvis problems, progress, opportunities and threats. Information on possible problems on the road, producing communities, road type etc is discussed. Matters that concerned death and condolences of members are also discussed and people are assisted through the meetings. There has been no problem organising or conducting market activities instead it has been success upon success. At the last meeting, members were opportune to have current information on how best to embark on gari business, welfare issues and the meeting also served as an opportunity for informal credit facilities to the needy. The organisation regulate pricing, quantity and quality of gari marketing system, thus, making sure that all stakeholders have very good chance of making necessary profit and consuming good wholesome gari. The organisation reported that they are not getting expected support from the government officials. They informed that most of the policies of central government are always against the poor in Nigeria. There are very week government regulations on pricing, quality, space, infrastructural facilities. They informed that the traditional authorities (who may play a variety of roles, particularly through their position as land holders) are not helping market women. Instead, they are mostly behind distribution of market space to rich ones who rent the shops out to poor people. This action is anti progress to the poor resource people in the market. They however challenged Government for lack of sensitivity to pay workers their salaries as at when due. They raised the following quotes: “No salary. No market. 2003 Xmas was good. 2004 Xmas was bad. Why? Because government no pay salary. If you pay salary, Market women go get money and children will to school”. “In those days, women do not pay school fees but men. Today, women pay school fees because there is no money from their husband. We women do not want our children to suffer. We have to source for other means of getting money to pay school fees. We may have to sleep with men to get money. We are not happy. Please help us”.
“Tell them, we all want to become a mother of President, Minster, Governors, Lawyer, not hooligans, not thieves, not prostitute and so Government should help us”-Mrs Chriastiana Emache, Benin City” In New market, Enugu most gari traders (wholesalers and retailers) sell on credit to regular customers who are usually middle class civil servants and few traders who normally buy in bags per measured in painter or basin for domestic consumption. Our creditors usually pay back as soon as they get the money or at the end of month after receiving salaries. There have been occasional defaulters but the traders stopped selling to the particular defaulters on credit. The market women informed that they are well organised that no trader must sell inferior gari to customers. On further probing of what happens if a trader sells low quality; they responded that they will eject such trader from the market or hand him/her over to the law enforcement agent. They are confident because they eat from their gari and most of their uncles, children and family travels abroad with Edo gari after the New Year. In Enugu market, most of restaurants owners selling to various actors in the market informed that they belong to an umbrella association which serves as protection against harassment by the agents of governments especially local government officials. The Associations is govern by a head, secretary, treasurer and publicity secretary. They meet monthly and all restaurants have automatic seat at meetings. The association also provide assistance in time of difficulty such as robbery and fire outbreak. The association is like a pressure group and a welfare group. It is also a medium for effective communication. Since food safety is an important issue, the association ensure that all restaurants are in good clean environment with simple hygienic practices. In case of any defaulter, the association normally penalised such defaulters. One of the restaurant owners informed that before they have effective association, some government officials usually ate food without pa ying and this had resulted in series of conflicts in the past. Since the establishment of an umbrella association, no government officials are allowed to eat free food. In Benin market, there is no such association. However, restaurant owners showed readiness to form a general food seller association and it will be compulsory for all food sellers to be member. They believed that the association will serve as a lobby group and welfare organisation. Weights and measures in the gari markets In Enugu market, traders are using cigarette cup, milk cup and bags are used as measures compared to Benin City, where they use bags and basins as measures. At point of sale gari is measured in cups, four litre paint buckets and basins. These weights and measures have not changed over time and it has been in practised for long period of time. On probing to know what happens if a trader uses another weights and measures, gari market traders informed that no serious minded trader will use another weight and measure. One of the traders adduced to the fact that at the earliest development of marketing, there has been some few cases of malpractices and such defaulters were suspended from trading in the market for three months. They were absorbed back due to intervention of local government authority and since then, there has been very good compliance to the standard weights and measures in the market. In Benin market, there has been little rift in the market between gari traders and other traders or traders versus consumers when it comes to full measurement of gari using basin (2.7kg). This case was settled by the local government authority and at times law enforcement officers who
normally act through the market association. They make use of amicable settlement in the first instance and if it fails, apply force by taken them to their station for further interrogation. On further discussion, it was observed that most traders are scare of this procedure because they eventually paid some token money to the respective law enforcement officer as gratis. For this reason, they tend to comply with providing satisfactory measures. They responded that if government introduce standard weight and measures, it becomes compulsory to all market women to follow it. They welcome the idea because it will assist both the trader and consumers. They referred to some other states in south west Nigeria like Oyo and Ogun State were there is government standard weight in the market. Through this action, there have been new market developments, government incentives and market dynamics through formation of commodity association. They are not aware of any case arising from non compliance to weight and measure. They thereafter requested their State Government to copy South Western States by introducing standard weight and measure. Also, most of the traders in New Market, Enugu informed that weights and measures are acceptable by our customers in Enugu State at wholesale rate. Because it is the peoples wish, there is no problem about it. There is no standard weight or quality standardisation from the government at present, so, they may not be able to judge the difference or level of enforcement. There has been no conflict and we pray not have it anyway. This was validated through a discussion with some sets of consumers who informed that they buy gari more in basin and less of painter in Benin market while they buy more in painter in Enugu market. Consumers felt satisfied with the weight and measures in place in the market. The following are major findings for weights and measures: Ø Ø Ø Ø
different standard measures are used: cigarette cup, milk cup or painter, bags, basins Different measures facilitates transaction by breaking bulk Various sharp practices are reported Government intervention to minimize sharp practices are noted in some States
Consumption pattern of gari Most consumers (of different origins and some have double origins (Igbo, Efik, Yoruba, Igbira, hausa, Urobo, Benin etc) informed that gari is there favourite staple cassava products and they normally purchased gari in the particular market places due to local preference. At present, Benin consumers are not aware of any supermarket selling gari, instead gari is being sold in the market at open place in basin, small shop and on the major highroad in 25kg bags while consumers in Enugu New Market informed that there are about 10 supermarkets selling in unlabelled gari in small bags with little patronage. Consumers in Benin city showed readiness to buy gari in the supermarket provided they are affordable and of good quality. Majority of consumers consumed gari at least once daily being a major staple in Benin and Enugu city. They responded that gari is common and everybody can process and market gari. Benin people consumed in dry form, wet form, soaked form or cooked form while Enugu consumers preferred to consume gari in cooked form. This finding is in accordance to earlier report by Phillip et. al. (2004) which reflects that cassava (gari) is truly a national food with an urban market presence. Cassava gari appears to be a ‘food of choice’ even in the face of alternative food options in urban areas. According to Almazan, (1988), a good quality gari should swell to at least 3 times its volume when soaked in water. Oladejo (2004) and Awoyale (2004) reported that gari should have pH