Producers of sachet water in Imo State have temporarily halted production for three days, citing rising production costs, particularly the increasing price of nylon used for packaging. The Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP), Imo State chapter, initiated the shutdown on Monday, affecting supply in Owerri and surrounding areas.
Residents have reported scarcity and rising prices, with a bag of sachet water increasing from ₦350 to about ₦500. Retail hawkers, who usually sold three sachets for ₦100, are now selling one sachet for the same price, attributing the hike to reduced supply.
Some producers, speaking anonymously, linked the halt to higher costs of production driven by rising prices of nylon and diesel amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. “ATWAP members can barely meet up with the cost of production. We decided to quietly shut down tools so that people will miss us, and then we can introduce the new price. But we told people that we are doing routine maintenance,” one source said.
However, ATWAP State Chairman Bismark Lumanze denied that the producers were on strike, insisting the shutdown was for routine maintenance. “No, we are not on strike, but on agreed routine maintenance of our factories to ensure we produce clean and safe water. We had already increased the prices of table water and pure water before the three-day mandatory break for maintenance,” he said.
Lumanze explained that the exercise allows operators to clean machines, replace filters, and service production facilities to promote hygiene. He also noted regulatory pressures on the sector, including allegations linking sachet water to environmental pollution and ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to streamline the business.
The chairman assured residents that production would resume on Thursday at 12 a.m., with supply expected to stabilize thereafter.
