The Bakin Dogo food market in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State has been plunged into chaos as yam prices have surged to unprecedented heights. Currently, 100 tubers of yam are priced at an astounding ₦1 million at wholesale, causing shock among traders and consumers.
According to TheSun, retailers such as Alhaji Abubakar are finding it nearly impossible to recover their costs, let alone make a profit, due to these exorbitant prices. “We’re in big trouble,” he lamented. “I’ve never seen a market like this in decades. A Koriya (100 pieces) of large old yams costs ₦1 million. Over half of the yams I bought are still unsold because people are unwilling to buy even one yam for more than ₦9,000.”
The situation is exacerbated by the arrival of new yams, which are being sold at a competitive price of ₦4,000 to ₦4,500 per unit. Muhammed, another retailer, explained that this creates a significant challenge for those with old yams in stock. “I sell 10 pieces of new yam (medium) for ₦14,500,” he said. “This is equivalent to the price of old yams.”
The scarcity of yams is primarily due to the inability of many dealers to travel to remote villages because of increasing insecurity in the country. Additionally, available supplies are being bought for export to neighboring countries like Niger and Ghana.
