There have been calls by consumers of rice in Plateau state for an investigation on the re-bagging of local rice by dealers in the city of Jos.

Urging the government of Plateau to act on the prevailing circumstance, the consumers described the act as unpatriotic.

Consumers who spoke with newsmen identified that some traders in Jos deduct some measures of the commodity from the standard sack, re-bag them in smaller sacks and sell to unknowing customers as the standard measure.

They also lamented that some of the dealers were re-bagging and selling rice with stones in bags of popular Nigerian rice brands, to make unusual gains.

According to Mrs. Celine Ndu, a rice consumer in Jos, “This unpatriotic act by the traders has brought about an to increase in the prices of the commodity,”

She said the local rice was sold for N12,000 and N15,000, but because of the offensive act, the price has risen from between N17,500 and N19,000 per bag.

On her part, Mrs. Helen Pam, another consumer, said the brand she purchases was regularly de-stoned, but recently some corrupt traders had mixed it with stones.

One of the distributors of local rice in the state who failed to identify himself, decried that he was aware rice usually in good conditions were being re-bagged, but he could do nothing to curb the act.

‘’We expect the relevant regulatory bodies to check this menace because it is unfair to the consumers,” he said.

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA