Traders: Why yams are expensive in markets

Prices of yams have surged in markets across Nigeria, with traders attributing the increase to rising fuel prices and transportation costs affecting the movement of produce from farming regions.

A market survey on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, showed yam prices continue climbing, despite the arrival of new yams, which usually signals a drop in market prices.

Depending on size, a single tuber of yam now sells between N5,000 and N15,000, a sharp rise compared to the previous year’s rates across major Abuja markets.

A yam seller at Gwagwalada Market in Abuja, Grace Ibrahim, confirmed that yam prices had risen by more than 25 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, citing higher logistics expenses.

“Medium yams now sell for N5,000, compared to N4,000 in 2024. Bigger ones go for N12,000 to N15,000. Even the smallest yams cost N6,000 or N7,000 now,” she said.

Ibrahim blamed the increase on higher transportation fares, saying: “A small truck that once cost N10,000 to bring yams from Benue or Nasarawa now costs N20,000. Bigger trucks are N60,000.”

Another trader, Ibrahim Musa, noted the same challenge, stating that customer patronage had declined as consumers struggled with high prices across all food items, not just yams.

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Musa said: “People don’t buy like they used to. It’s not just the prices; it’s that everything has become expensive.

“Many buyers are simply choosing cheaper alternatives.”

Several buyers also expressed concern about the current prices.

One of the buyers, Deborah Oga, said yam had become unaffordable for many families, even with the availability of newly harvested produce.

Another buyer, Dorcas Okeke, said her household had reduced yam purchases.

“We used to buy four tubers each weekend. Now we can only afford two. We’re eating more potatoes and cassava,” Okeke told NAN.

The traders, therefore, appealed to the federal government to support farmers with subsidised fertilisers, improved road networks, and fuel price interventions to ease the burden on both suppliers and consumers.

Experts warn that unless transportation and fuel challenges are addressed, the upward trend in food prices, including yams, may persist, impacting food security and economic stability nationwide.

The Star