Benin counts the cost after Nigeria shutters border

Cotonou: Dozens of baskets brimming with newly-picked tomatoes gently rot in the sticky heat, becoming the latest casualty in a bout of trade tension between Benin and Nigeria.
On August 19, President Muhammadu Buhari unexpectedly closed Nigeria’s borders to goods trade with Benin and Niger, declaring the time had come to end rampant smuggling from those countries.
In Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour to the west, traders say the impact has been devastating.
“This is a distressing sight,” Agriculture Minister Gaston Dossouhoui said this month, visiting markets in the town of Grand Popo, one of the main agricultural communities of southern Benin.
“It’s very difficult for our producers. It’s a disaster.” “Financially speaking, Benin’s small producers are under water — they’ve already had to run up millions (of CFA francs) in debt,” said Adjeoda Amoussou, head of Benin’s Chamber of Agriculture.