• Friday, March 29, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Trader says low patronage of kerosene hurts margins

Kerosene-line

Name:  Josephine Onokpa

State of Origin: Delta State

Dependants: Four Children

Trade: I sell kerosene and I supplement with hard drinks.

Profit: I was making little profit but since the price of kerosene went up sometime last year, it has been quite difficult. Before, I used to buy a full drum of kerosene but I cannot afford to buy that anymore. I now buy half drum and I don’t really get enough profit from there.

A drum of kerosene I usually bought for N24, 000 is now N55, 000 and the price of the drinks has increased as well. Since this increase, most people have switched to charcoal and few to cooking gas.

To make some gain to plunge back into the business, I have to sell a drum of kerosene in a week so that I will not spend my capital. This is the only business sustaining my entire family since my husband’s casual job at the airport began to dwindle. For a while now, I have been the one doing everything from paying the school fees to feeding the family, including paying the house rent.

School fees: It has not been easy footing the bills alone. I have settled the fees of my eldest child who is currently in JSS3 and I have been paying the fees of my other three children in bits.

House rent: It wasn’t easy but, gradually, I was able to settle this year’s rent by paying by instalments.

Challenges: Sales have been very low. I hardly sell up to one gallon of kerosene each day. Now when customers buy, they buy in smaller quantities. To eat well is another problem but we are dealing with that. Before, we used to eat three times daily, but it’s now twice, mornings and evenings. All the hardship started last year.

  CHINWE AGBEZE