It is true that megastores and marts purchase and sell products from abroad rather than locally produced items. While this is inevitable in some cases, I strongly believe it will result into negative consequences.
To start with, overly depending on foreign nations for food and neglecting in house produce will lead to a drastic reduction in the country’s economic status. Every country’s finance is strengthened with the rate of exportation of their local resources. In other words, the more they produce and export goods, the stronger their economy. For example, Nigeria is a consuming country, known to depend entirely on imported items, and this has significantly weakened the purchasing power of her currency.
Secondly, local producers get discouraged when they are not being patronized. This is a major issue because they invest ample time, money, and other resources into growing crops to sell to other distributors and marketers, hoping to exchange their efforts for monetary value. However, they may feel discouraged when they are not getting value for their time, and may eventually stop production, which will consequently reduce the availability of food in the city.
Finally, foreign produce may pose health risks on people. The source of imported products are not known, and the production process might not be hygienic. This might cause certain health injury to citizens therefore, reducing their life expectancy.
In conclusion, although it is not always possible to live independently, I still believe that sourcing for products from overseas as opposed to selling locally produced goods is a negative development, and actions should be taken to encourage the use of local produce.