October 13, (THEWILL) – Most sellers of Bean cake (Kosai) in Kano Metropolis, are out of business due to the prevailing high prices of beans and cooking oil in the area.
Kosai, also known as Akara in some other parts of the country, is a staple delicacy mostly consumed for breakfast in many parts of the North, including Kano State.
However, it has gone beyond the ordinary person’s reach in recent times, as most of its makers in the state can no longer produce it due to the prohibitive cost of its essential ingredients – beans and groundnut oil.
Beans now cost between N3,800 and N4,200 per measure, depending on the variety found in the market, while groundnut oil, which is commonly used to fry the bean cake, sells for N1,700 and N1,900 per measure.
An investigation conducted by THEWILL in parts of Kano city including Kurmawa, Indabawa, Mubi, Tarauni and Nasarawa, revealed that most of the sellers of Akara have abandoned the business, as they have run out of capital.
One of them, Hafsatu Garba, told THEWILL that she had not fried the commodity in the last three months due to the soaring prices of beans and groundnut oil.
“I used to have a capital of about N20,000 with which I was frying Akara and I was making an average of N4,000 profit daily, but the business has collapsed because high costs of beans and groundnut oil have eaten up the capital.
“I have now resorted to producing and selling Kunun Kanwa(Gruel made from millet and guinea potash) whose ingredients are cheaper, in order to survive”, Garba said.
Another Seller, Rabi Inuwa, also bemoaned the situation, saying that she had since stopped selling Akara, as she was no longer making a profit due to the prohibitive prices of the two essential ingredients.
“I used to make a profit of about N3,000 every day, selling Akara for an initial N10 per unit, then N20 per unit, and lastly N50 per unit, yet, the profit kept thinning away, so, I stopped doing the business.”
Sa’adatu Jibrin, who used to sell Akara in one of the breakfast joints visited, also said she had crashed out of the business as she realised that she was running out of capital.
“With the paltry N8,500 that is left of the capital, I am now selling condiments such as salt, peppers, tomatoes and onions in order to keep body and soul together”, Jibrin said.
THEWILL also gathered that consumers of the Akara have found alternative breakfast meals, including Kunun Kanwa and Kunun Tsamiya, made from millet, guinea potash and tamarind respectively.
Others have turned to Gurasa, a local delicacy made from flour, yeast and sugar, which they find cheaper than bean cake.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
