NEWS

Quarry dealers shut down businesses in Ebonyi over hike in haulage prize

March 19, 2024

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By Ruth Oginyi

In Ebonyi State, groups known as Stone Dealers Association and Truck Owners Association in the Ivo local government area of the State have shut down their businesses to protest the exorbitant increase in the price of materials by Chinese firms operating in the area.
The two associations also shut down businesses to protest the increase in haulage fees by the Chinese firms.

Ivo council area is one of the mineral-rich local government in Ebonyi.The protesters appealed to the state government Francis Nwifuru to use his office to call on the Chinese firm operating in Ishiagu to order.

Monday, March 18 is one week after the group shut down their business activities and vowed not to go back to operations until the prices of the materials and haulage were reduced as it is in other states like Edo, Abia, and others.

Speaking to Journalists, Njoku Godwin Uchechi, Chairman of the Amaeze chapter of the Ivo Association of Stone Dealers said they were protesting the incessant increment in the price of materials in the business which he said was severely affecting the association and the end users.

“We have lost our customers to our neighboring villages like Lokpanta and Uturu, Abia State because this business is very competitive, haulage business is competitive.

“We were paying N4,000 per tone after which the Chinese increased it to N9,500, they increased it again to N12,900. This time around, they have increased it to N18,300 per tone which is not favorable to us.

” We want the government to call them to order because the government has fixed prices of chippings. The prices should come down to enable us to survive in the business”.

In his submission, the Chairman of ANOR stone dealers association in the local government, Chukwu James Okafor said all the sizes of stones are affected by the price increment.

“They increased the prices of these shippings to 50% which is not supposed to be so. We are not against the increment but it is very harsh on us and it is affecting us in the business. We are the marketers and they are the producers. We are supposed to have mutual understanding with them so that it will not affect the marketers.

“We are calling on the state government to come to our aid because the investors are suppressing us. We are suffering while they are enjoying. After getting all these exorbitant fees from us, they convert it into dollars and send it to their country”, he stated.

The ANOR Chairman noted that the two associations will not open operations until the prices are reduced .

“As you can see, no truck is loading any chipping in Ivo and it will remain like that. We started doing this last week and we are not relenting until the right thing is done”, said Okafor.