Inflation and rising food prices are creating significant challenges for many Nigerians, forcing them to forgo basic necessities. In particular, the cost of yams has surged dramatically. At the Bakin Dogo food market in Kaduna State, 100 tubers of old yam recently sold for N1 million wholesale. This price hike has also affected yam sellers in Abuja, where they are struggling to make sales as customers find it difficult to afford their goods.
Blessing Timothy, a yam seller in Masaka market, expressed her concerns, calling on the federal and state governments to intervene by regulating the constant price increases of foodstuffs. She emphasized the need for government support to provide farmers with modern farm inputs and timely distribution of fertilizers to boost food production across the country. According to Ms. Timothy, the price of five tubers of yam now ranges from N15,000 to N30,000, depending on the size.
Similarly, Hannah Duke, another yam seller in Mararaba, noted that the rising prices have negatively impacted her business, causing her to gradually lose her capital. She echoed the call for government intervention to alleviate the economic strain on both sellers and consumers.
According to her, most farmers don’t go to farms anymore because of insecurity. Those who managed to plant will pay the gunmen to be able to harvest—the cost of transportation and pesticides.
“All these go to the cost of production, and in the end, the farmers need to increase prices to make ends meet,’’ she said.
Ms Duke said the yam business was no longer profitable, making it difficult for people to buy yam.
“Sometimes we are forced to cut yams into pieces to sell; we sell small slices of yam between N1,000 and N2,000, depending on the size. We are appealing to the government to come to our aid,’’ she said.
Josephine Ejeh, another seller in Mararaba, expressed her frustration and said yam was now beyond the reach of the ordinary man.
“We don’t know where to start from. Last Last year, we sold a bundle of yams (five pieces) for N3,000, and now we are selling between N15,000 and N30,000, depending on the size.
“People are not patronising us again. I’ve been here since morning, and I have not sold anything. Everyone is complaining, and it is not our fault either."
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