KANO STATE GOVT. INTERVENES TOWARDS REDUCING COST OF “PURE WATER”

Kano state government has reached an agreement with packaged water producers in the state, to reduce the price of the product from N100.00 to N80. 00 per bag. This means that every two sachets of the commodity would be sold at N15. 00 as against the current price of N10. 00 for a sachet.

Members of the association, however, agreed to revert to the old price of N5. 00 each sachet as soon as the cost of polythene used in producing the sachets decreases.

Speaking shortly after a meeting with members of the association at the Government House in Kano, the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje the government convened the meeting against the backdrop of rising cost of packaged water in the state.

“Government is aware that they are facing operational challenges but at the same time they must be considerate”, the governor maintained, adding that he had personally approached a polythene production company in Rivers State, which has promised to explore the possibility of assisting the packaged water producers in Kano to get its product easily.

In the meantime, he announced that his administration, through the Ministry of Environment would provide them with 10 water processing machines to cushion to enable them regularize the cost of sachet water in Kano.

He also said the government plans to introduce an empowerment programme for youths whereby beneficiaries would be assisted to collect used water sachets and sell them to water producers for recycling.

Earlier, chairman of the state Pure Water Producers Association, Salisu Sani said increase in the rice of their product is because of rising cost of production, disclosing that “one kilogramme of the material used in producing the sachets was hitherto N570 as against N1250 today”. He assured that the cost per sachet would be reduced as soon as operational cost stabilizes.