Hike in cooking gas, kerosene prices lifts charcoal business in Awka

FIREWOOD and charcoal businesses are presently recording boom in Awka following high cost of cooking gas and kerosene across the country.

  A visit to some cooking gas shops in Awka showed prices of cooking gas rose from N350 per kilogram to N400 across major gas stations in the metropolis within two weeks.

  A food vendor, Anne Obiora, said she preferred charcoal to gas and kerosene because it is more economical and faster.

  Noting that a bag of charcoal, which costs about N2,700 can be used in cooking a full bag of rice even, she explained that the use of gas by some careless persons could cause.

  But another food vendor, who switched from using charcoal to gas in her hospitality business, Mrs. Fidelia Okeke contradicted Obiora’s preference of charcoal over gas.

  She highlighted some of the disadvantages of cooking with charcoal to include sight deterioration caused by constant contact with smoke, respiratory problems, which can be gotten from constant inhalation of carbon monoxide and waist pain among others.