DEBORAH OCHENI 
Despite the arrival of new yams in the market, many residents of the Federal Capital Territory still find it difficult to purchase and enjoy the delicacy because its price is beyond the reach of the average household, DEBORAH OCHENI reports
As the prices of essential food items continue to skyrocket, Nigerians face an uphill task in their fight against poverty.
The soaring food inflation has exacerbated the poverty situation in the country, leaving many struggling to meet their basic needs According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigerians faced higher food prices in May 2023.
Three months after, the situation has not changed as the value of the local currency (naira) has continued to plummet.
The survey, which includes staple food items like local rice, yam, tomato, bread, plantain, veggies, fish, beans, and others, was contained in the ‘Selected Food Prices Watch (May 2023)’ report released recently.
Season
It is the season of yams, the king of crops in most agrarian communities in Nigeria. Yam is economically important but it doesn’t end there. Yam is also of massive cultural importance in various tribes in Nigeria.
The cultural relevance of yam goes deep such that there are celebrations to usher in new yams many parts of the country. Alihu Usman, an Abuja based yam farmer, hails from Taraba State.
He travels home to supervise his yam farm yearly, according to him, cultivating yams this year has been so costly. “I invested N4million into it this year and as a businessman, I am expecting to make interest to service the loan.
Prices of everything about farming have skyrocketed. Cultivating yams takes 6 to 8 months of hard work and expenditure,” he said. Another yam farmer, Alhaji Danjuma Alkali, laments that fake chemicals are a major problem farmers face now.
“It is not only yams that are expensive, we are in Nigeria and literally everything is expensive. We spend so much on chemicals. Disappointingly, there are a lot of fake chemicals out there. My friend lost almost N10 million owing to fake chemicals.
“I want the Federal Government and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to look into what they are selling to us. I am personally disappointed at what I harvested because I expected so much because I spent so much. It takes a maximum of eight months to cultivate yams.
Merchants
Ladi Ajanigo, a major yam distributor in Orozo market, a suburb of the FCT said it is too early to conclude that yams are expensive.
“Yam harvest has just begun, it is too early to assume that yams are expensive this year because a lot of farmers have not harvested.
Traditionally, new yam festivals have not taken place in many states that are the major producer of yam like Benue State and others.
Let us be patient and watch how things unfold because I am sure that the price will drop by November to December. I have 21 years’ experience in this business,” she boasts.
On the types of yam available in this country Ajanigo said there are so many types of yams available but buyers always look out for Benue yam, Taraba, Jalingo, Nasarawa yams because when cooked or fried, yams from these regions are white and soft.
Idris Adah, a yam vendor at Karu Market, said the fuel hike is responsible for the hike in the prices of food stuff including yams.
“We are spending so much on transportation. For some of us that buy from village market in bulk, the goods itself are not so expensive but we spend like 70 percent of our capital on transportation and other logistics.
So by the time we put all the expenses together, we don’t have option than to sell it at high rate. As harvest intensifies, we are hopeful that we will get it at fair rate from nearby farmers,” he explained.
Another seller, who simply identified himself as God’swill, said there is a permanent demand for yams, but supply varies in the course of the year especially as old yams go out of season and new yams begin to appear for sale.
“At the moment, new yam festivals are ongoing in various parts of the country. The first yams are being harvested and are slowly trickling into the market thus supply is low and demand is high.
“In a few weeks, months, once the festivals are over and the harvests intensified, more yams will come into the market and prices should fall,” he assured.
Consumers
Judith Paul, a buyer whom the reporter met in the market, laments that yams and its alternatives are unaffordable unlike last year.
“The removal of fuel subsidy is dealing with the masses merciessly. This time last year, yam was not this expensive as 10 pieces of an average sized tuber of yam was sold for N12,000. Today, five tubers go for between N9,000 and N11,000.
Sweet potatoes, which are a close substitute, are also very expensive whereas Irish potatoes is now a luxury reserved for the rich.
Speaking on the alternatives food item, Paul said there are many alternatives like rice, beans but these are also unaffordable.
Expert opinion
A dietician, Esther Ezechi noted that yams are starchier and less sweet than sweet potatoes. They have white, yellow, purple or pink flesh like sweet potatoes. “The colour depends on the maturity of the yam.
White yams are high in potassium, while yellow, orange and purple flesh yams are full of antioxidants, complex carbohydrates and vitamins. They have a ton of health benefits. For example, they are a source of resistant fibre, which makes them an ideal food option for digestion and weight loss.
Yams help prevent spikes in blood sugar after a hearty meal. In addition, they have several other qualities that make them nutritious Ezechi said that yam is a fast food in many homes and it’s loved by many.
Yam can be boiled and eaten with any sauce of choice, it can be roasted, fried or cooked with beans. “Many homes in Nigeria prefer to have yam at home for convenience sake.
For example, you can easily prepare yam in different forms for children to take to school. Yam easily comes through when there is an emergency or food shortage and for this reason, I always have yam in my house no matter the cost because my children like it,” she said.
