Competition from nose cover made from fabric has reduced the price and demand for disposable face masks, according to a BusinessDay survey.
Findings show that prices of disposable face masks in selected pharmaceutical stores in Ikeja, Lagos Island, Apapa and Surelere have fallen by some 45 percent from their initial value at the peak of the novel coronavirus.
At HealthPlus Pharmaceutics Limited, a pack of disposable face masks containing 50 pieces is sold for N8, 000 from N18, 000 at the onset of Covid-19, between February and March. At Alpha Pharmacy, a pack of face masks is sold at N7, 500 from N14, 000 and at Careforte Pharmacy, a pack is sold for N3, 700 from N6, 450.
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In some stores on Lagos Island, where retailers buy wholesale quantities, a pack is sold for N3, 650 from between N5000 and N8000 more than a month ago.
“The scarcity and rush for the mask is no more, unlike during the outbreak of the pandemic,” Tomisi Akinyemi, a pharmacist at HealthPlus Limited said.
Tolu Esan, a pharmacist at Teen Pharmacy & Stores where a pack is sold for N3, 500 from N10, 000 noted that competition from the local cloth mask which sells for N100 per piece reduced the price for the disposable ones
Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, a pack usually imported from China was sold for between N1,000 and N1,500. However, in the wake of the pandemic, rising demand, panic buying, hoarding of the item had skyrocketed prices.
And in the fight against the coronavirus, face masks have become the most visible symbol of the deadly pandemic, worn by millions of people around the globe.
According to reports, face masks are generally effective in reducing the chances of infection, but are most effective when worn by those infected and people at the frontline taking care of them.
China, the world’s leading manufacturer of disposable face masks had to almost completely shut down its factories in late January as the number of coronavirus cases mounted. But in March, more and more Chinese factories reopened.
The shutdown of the factories which led to a scarcity of the masks presented an opportunity for tailors in Aba, the manufacturing hub of Abia State, to make face masks from local fabrics.
“The alternatives to the disposable face mask which is sold for N100 and people making their own mask have reduced the demand for the disposable mask, leading to a significant decline in the prices,” Ayorinde Akinloye, a consumer analyst at CSL Stockbrokers said.
Akinloye further noted that prices would ultimately revert to previous levels due to people getting used to the alternatives and a vaccine which may be developed in about six months to one year.
