The Cane Market in the Throes of Economic Downturn
The global economic crisis which touched down on Nigeria early this year, no doubt, has taken its toll on every sector and segment of the economy including the seemingly inconspicuous ones. Ndubuisi Eluwa, here, looks at the extent of its impact on the cane market.
Back in the ‘80s, most of the patronage for cane products at the Cane village in Maryland, Lagos came from foreigners who, visiting Nigeria for one reason or the other, bought cane works and took them back home. But as time passed by, and interaction and exposure to foreign cultures increased, the cane village, which started as far back as the late ‘50s, began to gain the attention of contemporary Nigerians. Now industry watchers say that cane products, along with other African arts, are appreciated by many both within outside the country.
Not only did the exposure to foreign cultures ignite interest in cane products, it also brought along with it series of innovations. A visit to the market presently reveals a lot of improvements from what was obtainable in the early days. According to Mr. Eric Izeze, Chairman, National Cane Weavers Association (NCWA), clientele for the cane works have grown to include hoteliers, resort centres and corporate organisations, as well as young couples who are just starting out in life, who find cane furniture cheaper.
The cane village which started in a small patch of land along Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Lagos, has apparently grown, extending not just from under the bridge but to a few new locations around Lagos. What this simply implies, experts say, is that more people keep seeing a means of livelihood in the trade and so the cane village, over the years, has offered job opportunities to a lot of youths who otherwise would have been loafing around. Not only has it provided employment, it has become a sort of tourist centre, as foreigners make it one of their ports of call when they visit Nigeria just to have a feel of the works of arts.
Speaking of the economic crisis currently rocking the globe, Mr. Izeze said that one good thing about their business is that it is not affected by foreign exchange as all their raw materials are sourced locally. According to him, the major material, which is the cane, comes mostly from Delta State and partly from Epe, on the outskirt of Lagos.
But considering the prime location of the market and the exotic nature of its products, this business community is said to be under-performing for many reasons.
Over the years, the cane product makers has had to operate using crude equipments which makes the whole process too laborious and their finishing poor. From preparing the canes or raffia to finishing each product, the artisans carry out their work manually and thus, the typical production cycle is about 3 weeks, a span of time which can be shortened with the right equipment.
With the recent economic crisis, the cane village has been facing more challenges. Operators at the market told M2 that sales have dropped drastically in the wake of the present economic situation. Michael McCanaan, who inherited the business from his late father and has been running it with his mother, said that “Business has been really slow and that is understandable,” adding that “People are concerned about feeding first before thinking about furniture.”
Baskets of different shapes and sizes are among the cane products which enjoy huge patronage during festive periods in Nigeria. According to Izeze, the weavers begin work on their end of year products from early July. He explained that “Corporate organizations that used to patronize us more around this period usually come very early to make their orders for baskets which they use for hampers for their clients.” However, Eric regretted that up until this month (November) their biggest customers are yet to show up.
Efforts to ascertain the position of some corporate organizations was futile as most of them preferred to keep quiet insisting that the issue of gifts for their clients should not be discoursed or disclosed in the media. The few who spoke did not want neither their names nor their organizations mentioned, but disclosed that given the present economic situation, other cost effective alternatives will be explored.
Mrs. Doreen Egboka sells Christmas hampers during yuletide periods in addition to her pharmaceutical store in the Shaga area of Ifako Ijaiye. According to her, last year, in the wake of the present economic crisis, she barely managed to sell off all her hampers. In her words, “With my experience last year, I want to tread softly this year. I would rather wait until I have orders which in any case I’m still expecting.”
At Abesan area of Ipaja, Mrs. Joke Bamidele runs a super market and also sells hampers during festive seasons. According to Mrs Bamidele, “I had to unpack the leftovers of the hampers I made last year and return the contents on the shelf. That was before the economy became what it is now.” Going further, she explained that people only give out such things when they have enough. “But given the present state of the economy where every one is barely managing, I will have to be careful not to have a repeat of what happened last year,” she concluded.
Given the foregoing positions, the fate of cane weavers definitely looks bleak this festive period. No thanks to the economic crisis. But Mr Izeze is still optimistic that the orders will come. In preparation for this, “We are just producing different designs and sizes because when they eventually come, there will not be much time,” he said.
This impact of the economic crisis on this seemingly inconspicuous segment of the economy has heightened worries in many quarters, with many wondering when all this will be over. To further worsen the situation, M2 learnt that the little assistance that used to come from a few financial institutions have stopped coming due to the recent shake up in the banking industry.
