Ice block sellers are making brisk business in Kano, due to the high demand for cold water, occasioned by the hot weather condition.
The prevailing hot weather condition, coupled with the epileptic power supply and the Ramadan fast, all combined to create a high demand for cold water by residents.
Further checks by a correspondent of The NewsZenith reveal that customers buy ice to mix with water for drinking.
Some other patrons, including sachet water vendors and soft drinks sellers, need the ice blocks to keep their wares cold.
A survey conducted in Kano showed that prices of ice blocks had gone up by over 100 per cent.
Vendors, mostly young men and women, normally begin selling from 4.00 p.m. daily on various roadsides in the city.
According to the survey, a small size of ice is now selling N100 as against N50.
Also, the bigger size of ice sells for N150, as against N80.
Audu Zango, who owns a cold room at Dakata, told The NewsZenith that the patronage has doubled with the commencement of the Ramadan fast.
“Business had never been this brisk for the past few months.
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“I make returns from daily sales of about N20,000,” he said.
Garba said the business is seasonal, adding that they use almost half of the profits from ice blocks to pay electricity bills and buy diesel to power generators.
Another dealer, Mr Dele Bola, said he and other sellers recorded more patronages when there was a power outage.
“This is as many people usually rushed to us to buy various items,” he said.
Bola said he sold more than 200 blocks of ice daily, as against less than 100 blocks during off-season periods.
He expressed joy over the patronage, especially during this period of Ramadan fast.
“The business is profitable as I make between N15,000 and N20,000 per day for the past three days.”
Mrs Amina Sabo, a buyer, expressed concern over hike in price of ice blocks within just a few days into the Ramadan fast.
She advised the traders to be God-fearing by reducing the prices of the commodity to earn Allah’s blessings.
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