Why we increased sachet water price from N100 per bag to N200, by producers

Association of Table Water Producers, Keffi council boss clash over increase

National President of the Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP), Mrs. Clementina Ative, has provided reasons why the association increased the price of sachet water from ₦100 per bag to ₦200.

Ative told journalists, yesterday, that water is life and only wholesome water can sustain life. She said the association increased the price of one bag to N200.00 to enable members produce and give quality and wholesome water to Nigerians instead of looking for ways of cutting corners, which might result, to quackery and substandard water.

Justifying the sachet water price increase, the ATWAP National President said: “We started sales of sachet water in 1998. Then fuel price was N11.00 per litre of fuel. Pure water nylon was N170,000 per tonne. Packing bag was N700.00 per bundle. We were selling a bag of pure water, which contains 20 sachets for, and the retailers were selling N50.00 per bag to the retailers and a sachet for N5.00 per sachet to the general public.

“Between 1998 to 2012, prices of all components of our production rose to point that nylon went to N600,000 per tonne, packing bags rose to N3.500 per bundle, fuel rose to N97.00 per litre and so do all components of our production from treatment medians to cleaning materials. We had no choice than to increase our price to N100.00 per bag to the retailers. And a sachet was being sold for N10.00 to the general public.

“Since 2012, the prices of all components of our production have gone to an unbearable point that we can no longer bear it. Nylon has gone to N1,550,000 per tonne; packing bag has gone to N7.000 per bundle. Diesel is now N320 per litre and all of us depend mostly on generator.

“Pure water machines that we used to buy N220,000 are now N1,000,000. We cannot change our distribution vehicles anymore; cost of micro filters has risen to more than 700 per cent. To improve on any water facilities will take the producer to go borrowing which he might not be able to pay.”

Ative also took a swipe at the chairman of Keffi Council in Nassarawa State, Hon. Mohammed Baba Shehu, over his provocative statement and threat to sanction packaged water producers in his council over the increase.

Ative said the newly sworn-in chairman does not have the power to determine the price of sachet water and any other commodity as price control is not within his purview and statutory mandate.

According to her, Shehu’s statement is ill informed and misguided as the recent rise in the price of sachet water was predicated on astronomical rise in production cost arising from market forces.

The Keffi chairman, she said , was playing to the gallery and playing politics with a very serious socio-economic issue in a deliberate attempt to gain cheap popularity.

Ative therefore urged the local council chairman to use his good office to introduce palliative measures to help package water producers in his council reduce price of sachet water rather than issuing threats and making provocative statements. She said ATWAP is ready to work harmoniously with all tiers of government to ameliorate the suffering of the people and ensure good governance.