“For di past, I dey buy 100 yams for 40,000 naira or more, but now dat moni no go fit even get half of am,” dis na wetin Alhaji Gambo Atose tell BBC News Pidgin as price of yam don go up beyond di reach of many pipo.
Di family man for Nassarawa State, northcentral Nigeria, say im don stop to dey eat yam for im house becos of di price.
Atose tok say, “For my house, we no dey chop yam again becos of di high price, we don resort to dey chop potatoes even though no be wetin we prefer.”
Yam na one of di food wey Nigerians dey chop, but now di high cost mata dey worry dem.
For now, one kilogram of yam for Nasarawa dey sell for around 11,000 naira or even more for some parts of di kontri.
Dis mata don make many Nigerians stop to dey chop yam, as dem don start to dey chop sweet potato and oda food as yam replacements.
Wetin dey cause di high price of yam?
Di questions on di lips of many Nigerians na wetin dey cause di yam price dey go up, and wen dem estimate say di price of yam go start to come down.
Dr Yunusa Halidu wey be di national secretary of di All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) tell BBC News Pidgin say many factors dey responsible for di high cost of yam.
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For im words, “Di price of di yam heads wey dem dey sell for 5,000 naira bifor don turn to 40,000 naira now, and di price of oda farming materials sef don cause di price of yam to dey go high.”
Im also tok say, “Dem dey carry yam go neighbouring kontris close to Nigeria like Cameroon, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, and dis one na im don make yam scarce for Nigeria and cause di price to increase.” Halidu tok.
“Most of di yams wey you see for Ghana na from Nigeria dem carry am go dia, and dem dey sell am to European kontris afta dem package am well.”
Im add say, “Also now, becos of di hunger wey pipo dey face, dem dey go farm and harvest di yams wey farmers don plant, for time wen hunger no dey, nobodi dey go farm to thief yams.”
But im estimate say by di month of November, wen di main harvesting season go start, di price go start to reduce, but e go only be temporary, becos di materials for farming now dey expensive, and di reduction in price no go last.
One of di yam dealers for Kano wey simply identify imsef as Mr Ismail tok say dis na di first time wey dem dey sell one piece of yam for around 5000 to 10,000 depending on di yam size.
E say “Bifor moto use to carry yam for us from Ekiti to Kano at di price of 5,000 per package wey dey carry 100 yams, but now we dey pay 25,000 naira per package.”
Mr Ismail add say sometimes dem dey sidon for a whole day witout getting any customer wey go buy yam bicos e don cost.
