Why yam is expensive – Traders

Prices of yams person surged successful respective Abuja markets, with traders attributing the summation to rising substance prices and proscription costs affecting the question of nutrient from farming regions.

Read Also: Bandits abduct 40 worshippers successful Zamfara mosque attack

A marketplace survey, connected Tuesday, showed yam prices proceed climbing, successful spite of the accomplishment of caller yams, which usually signals a driblet successful marketplace prices.

Depending connected size, a azygous tuber of yam present sells betwixt N5,000 and N15,000, a crisp emergence compared to the erstwhile year’s rates crossed large Abuja markets.

Mrs Grace Ibrahim, a yam seller astatine Gwagwalada Market, confirmed that yam prices had risen by much than 25 per cent compared to the aforesaid play 2024, citing higher logistics expenses.

“Medium yams present merchantability for N5,000, compared to N4,000 successful 2024. Bigger ones spell for N12,000 to N15,000. Even the smallest yams outgo N6,000 oregon N7,000 now,” she explained.

She blamed the summation connected higher proscription fares.

“A tiny motortruck that erstwhile outgo N10,000 to bring yams from Benue oregon Nasarawa present costs N20,000. Bigger trucks are N60,000.”

Buyers’ reaction

Mr Ibrahim Musa, different trader, noted the aforesaid challenge, stating that lawsuit patronage had declined arsenic consumers struggled with precocious prices crossed each nutrient items, not conscionable yams.

“People don’t bargain similar they utilized to. It’s not conscionable the prices, it’s that everything has go expensive.

“Many buyers are simply choosing cheaper alternatives,” helium added.

Several buyers expressed interest astir the existent prices.

One of the buyers, Mrs Deborah Oga said yam had go unaffordable for galore families, adjacent with the availability of recently harvested produce.

Another buyer, Mrs Dorcas Okeke said her household had reduced yam purchases.

“We utilized to bargain 4 tubers each weekend. Now we tin lone spend two. We’re eating much potatoes and cassava.”

The traders, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to enactment farmers with subsidised fertilisers, improved roadworthy networks, and substance terms interventions to easiness the load connected some suppliers and consumers.

Experts pass that unless proscription and substance challenges are addressed, the upward inclination successful nutrient prices, including yams, whitethorn persist, impacting nutrient information and economical stableness nationwide.

Vanguard News

The station Why yam is costly – Traders appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.