Price of yam drops by 100 per cent in Enugu

Yam dealers in major markets in Enugu metropolis said the harvesting of new yams has forced down the price of the commodity by about 100 per cent.

A cross-section of the dealers said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that new yam had flooded the market, hence the fall in the price.

One of them, Mr Ejike Nwanna, said that the price depended on the size of the commodity.

He said that five medium-size tubers, which sold at N4,500 before the harvest season, now go for between N2,000 and N2,500.

Ejikes said that the price of yam is never fixed in the market, saying that it is always negotiable, depending on the size and specie of the yam.

Another yam dealer at Garki Market, Agbani Road, Mrs Esther Ezeora, said that farmers recorded good harvest this year because there was enough rain.

“Many farmers planted yam this season and harvest was bountiful, forcing down the price,” Ezeora said.

Another yam seller at Akwata Market, Mr Sunday Iwuoha, also attributed the price fall to the bumper harvest, leading to more yams in the market.

“Farmers are forced to sell the produce at cheap prices because they have problems of storing the yam for a longer period,” Iwuoha said.

“The price of 50 tubers medium size of yam goes for between N13,000 and N13, 500 as against N20,000 before the harvest season,” he said.

Mr Greg Ume, a buyer expressed delight over the development, saying that the commodity had become more affordable than before.

Ume said that with the bumper harvest, there will be food on the table in many homes.

A civil servant, Mrs Ego Inyama, said that she was happy that new yam was now available and affordable.

“Most mothers were already getting fed up with the rice-and-beans meal on a daily basis. Now we can complement with yam,” Inyama said.