Tea, noodle and bean cake (akara or kosai) sellers in Kano have reported a surge in their businesses as the harmattan seasons intensifies.
A visit by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to some parts of the city, on Sunday revealed that many residents are opting for hot tea, noodles, akara, pap (koko), and locust bean cake (awara) to combat the chilly weather.
Several vendors told NAN that the increase in patronage had translated into higher income.
Ali Musa, a tea seller at Tarauni, said that demand for hot tea had been rising for the past three weeks.
“Most of our customers are commercial tricycle operators, students, and labourers. They start coming as early as 7: 00 a.m. to keep themselves warm,” Musa said.
Sani Yusuf, another tea vendor in Fagge, said t the demand had doubled in the last fortnight.
Yusuf expressed satisfaction with the increase in his business, adding that he was seeing significant profits.
Mudi Saleh, who sells tea and noodles in Kumbotso, said he had to bring his brother from the village to help serve the growing number of customers.
A cup of tea at his stall costs between N150 and N300 while a plate of noodles is priced between N450 and N600, depending on customer preferences.
Aminu Nura, another tea and noodle vendor in Gwale, also confirmed the rise in patronage.
He said that before the harmattan season, customers complained about the price of bread and the quantity of tea, but now they are purchasing more without complaints in order to warm up.
Maimuna Yunusa, who sells akara along Ahmadu Bello way, reported a noticeable increase in her sales.
“Before now, it was hard to sell all my stuff but now I sell everything in the morning,” she said.
Halima Bashir, a seller of awara and Koko in Dakata expressed similar satisfaction, saying that her sales had doubled since the harmattan season began.
“The demand is high and sometimes I can’t keep up,” she added.
Customers also spoke about their increased patronage.
Nura Zakaria, a tricycle operator, told NAN that it was only natural to frequent these vendors as temperatures continue to drop.
Zubairu Abass, another customer, said that he now visited the vendors twice daily since the onset of the harmattan season.
A security guard, Adamu Abdullahi, explained that before harmattan, he occasionally visited the vendors.
However, since the season began, he said, he now visits almost daily to buy akara and koko.
