Federal government ‘sschool feeding programe for primary school pupils./ Twitter
Vendors of the Federal Government’s Home Grown School Feeding Programme in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State have lamented the disbursement of N35 over a child’s meal.
The vendor said the amount was grossly inadequate to prepare a quality meal.
The vendors stated that they supply the food at N50 per plate, with N35 as cost price and N15 profit.
Desk Officer of the programme in the local government area, Yakubu Kajang, confirmed that the 261 vendors in the area received N50 per plate directly from the Federal Government.
The vendors stated that the cost of food items in the market had made it impossible to prepare a plate of rice with beans, fish, vegetables and crayfish with N35.
As stated by them, the aim of empowering local women through the programme will be defeated if nothing is done about it.
They appealed to the Federal Government to review the rate from N50 to N100 per plate in line with current market prices.
One of the vendors, Alice Emmanuel, who supplied food to U.B.E. Zwahu Kazah in Manchok, stated that most of the vendors spent more than the budgeted N35 for the food to meet the minimum standard.
“Price of food items are on the increase and we are expected to prepare a nutritious meal with just N35.
“If you put one and two together you will realise that we spend more than N50 per plate.
“We have to use the vegetable we planted in our backyards meant for family use and, in some cases, even beans in the house are not spared, just for us to really have something to take home as profit.
“We are in a serious dilemma because N35 is no longer feasible to prepare a nutritious meal, and if the food falls below quality it will be rejected by the school authorities.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government to increase the amount from N50 to N100 per plate for the programme to achieve its aim of empowering poor women like us. We are currently running at a loss,” she said.