Gusau – Yam dealers in Gusau say the harvesting of new yams in the state has forced the price of the tubers down in the market, making it more affordable to the public.
A cross section of the dealers made the observation during a market survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Thursday.
Mallam Muhammed Abubakar, a dealer, said that during the rainy season, farmers usually harvested new yams and made them available in the market at low price.
Abubakar said that in spite of the availability of the product, the old yams were still expensive as many people preferred to buy them because they were believed to be more suitable for consumption.
He, however, said that the price of old yams was also affordable compared to two months ago when it was sold at the range of N1,500 and N1,000 per tuber, depending on the size.
Mallam Aminu Yusuf, another seller said that the price of old yam had reduced to between N700 and N500 per tuber while the new ones were sold for N500 and N300 depending on the size.
Yusuf said that the price could also be reduced when sold in large quantity, adding that there were more customers compared to before.
Hajiya Fatima Ahmed, a buyer, said that the price of yams had reduced and more affordable than before, when many people abandoned the product for other foodstuff in the market.
She said that the rainy season had made many foodstuffs to be available in the market due to a bumper harvest by many farmers. (NAN)