Yam is regarded as the king of all farm produce and its arrival in the market is usually welcomed with much enthusiasm.
Sequel to this, News Echo who captured the mood of the farmers and traders at the Marine and Oseokwodu markets in Onitsha, Eke Awka market, Eke Ekwulobia and Nnewi during the arrival of this farm produce into the markets reports that despite the influx of the new yam, their prices are still on the high side.
The Marine and Oseokwodu markets, which for some times, were scantily populated, are now witnessing beehive of activities, as buyers were at hand bargaining for the produce, while some youths were seen offloading new tubers of yam from canoes and boats by the river sides.
This also provided avenue for some youths, who are on holidays, to make brisk businesses, as they assist buyers carry tubers of yam to their waiting vehicles, either with head pans or wheel barrows.
Some people who spoke to our correspondent believed that with the arrival of new yam into the markets, hunger will subside, due to its importance to various homes. Yet some of the consumers of this stable food had groaned over the exorbitant prices.
Farmers who brought in the produce at the markets, including Messrs Ekwegbalu Ndife, Udorji Agbata, and Udoka Onyegbuje, said yams are being harvested gradually due to low flooding and sun that also affected their growth and expressed optimism that by middle of September, more new yams will flood various markets and may now affect the current price to reduce.
They noted that tubers of yam are expensive due to high cost of yam seedlings during planting season, and called on Government to increase assistance to farmers, by providing soft loans to enable them cultivate more for food sufficiency in the State.
Traders at the markets, including Mrs. Ugochi Okeke and Agnes Nwokorie, expressed gratitude to God for the arrival of yam into the markets, but noted that a heap of hundred tubers of yam, which was formerly sold between eighty thousand naira to one hundred thousand naira, now goes for one hundred and twenty thousand naira or more, as the case maybe.
Contributing, a buyer, at the Eke Awka market, Mr. Chinedu Eze, who bought a tuber of yam at the cost of one thousand five hundred naira, as against eight hundred naira last year, said yam is usually expensive on arrival, and expressed optimism that that the price would go down the moment the produce begins to flood various markets, as most towns are yet to celebrate new yam festival.
Another buyer who simply identified her self as Chinasa at the Eke Ekwulobia market lamented that yam as a very important commodity in Igboland had taken another shape in price as it’s now meant for the rich.
However, it is expected that by the end of september the prices will subsides as more yams are expected to arrive the market.
