More yams hit Niger markets, prices drop

Yams from other states are gradually becoming scarce in various markets in Niger State as farmers in the state have begun harvesting.

Partly affecting yam trade from other states is the high cost of transportation due to the rising cost of fuel, but with the produce being harvested from across the state, traders say they feel relieved.

Checks by our correspondent showed that the price of the commodity has crashed in various markets in the state with high supply.

Our correspondent reported that the high supply is, however, greeted with high demand, though the demand has not affected the price when compared to how the produce was sold in the last two months.

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The demand, according to findings by Daily Trust, is from across all strata of society, including families who derive satisfaction from yam and potatoes, and those that fry or boil it for their children’s school pack.

At Gunu market, on Tuesday, farmers were seen arriving with pick-up vans loaded with new yam, while dealers ran after them from the gate to buy up the community.

The buyers and farmers who spoke with Daily Trust said, 100 tubers of yam, popularly known as kwarya, was sold at N40,000, N60,000 and N100,000 depending on size.

Ten tubers of medium size of yam was priced at N13,000 while five tubers, big size, was priced at N9,000 which would have been sold at between N25,000 and N30,000 before the harvest of new ones.

Farmers and traders at Gunu weekly market and Gwada confirmed to our correspondent that the demand is high due to the drop in prices.

Alhaji Yahaya Mohammed, a buyer at Gunu market, on Tuesday, said he bought 100 tubers known as (kwariya) at N60, 000 which he intended to resell.

“With the availability of the new yam, the price has dropped. The yam that you got at the cost N120,000 or more before is now sold at N40,000 or something a little above that. And the new yams are good even as pounded yam. In fact, not all old yam will be good now,” he explained.

Consequently, while farmers were seen offloading to sell, traders were seen loading in trucks to transport to markets in other states.

Also, in Gwada, Shiroro LGA, farmers told our correspondent that old yams were no longer in the market, saying that even if they were, they would no longer be as good as the new ones.

One of the farmers, Daniel Auta, said 10 tubers was N13,000, adding that a kwariya (100 tubers) went for N40,000, N60,000 and at times N100,000 depending on the size.

With the coming of new yams from Niger State, traders were also shifting from bringing Bendel yam to buying from local markets within and around the state, saying that buying the new ones being harvested in the state would give them more profit than going to other states to buy due to high cost of transportation.