As the cost of yam, a starchy staple food keeps soaring, some Nigerians have resorted an alternative with an increase in the patronage of sweet potatoes.
The frost-tender crop which requires lots of sunlight and warm weather to grow well, needs to be planted when the risk of frost has passed with experts suggesting that the best time to plant the tuber is between March to May, while some farmers prefer the September rainfall season.
However, with the proper application of farming techniques, both seasons yield bountiful harvests. This means from April till September, the crop reaches its peak in price.
But this year NewsNGR reports that a healthy tuber of yam costs about N8,000, depending on location, with farmers attributing the hike to insecurity and the high cost of farm inputs.
NewsNGR had reported that the unending Boko Haram violent attacks on farmers in Niger and Benue State, may eventually force them out of their farmlands and cause food shortages.
Speaking to NewsNGR, a yam trader Anebi Owoicho at the Orange Market Nasarawa said the spike in yam price and low patronage made him invest more in sweet potatoes.
Owoicho said the period between May and September was the spike season for the crop, but this year was tough for farmers.
โYam scarcity period used to be the best time for farmers and traders because of profit, but consumers have ignored us with our product. The cost of fertilizer, security and transportation spiked the prices of yam
โI am a commercial yam trader, but this year challenged my financial capability to buy yam in bulk, and customers would drop the product because of the price.
โThen I decided to look for an alternative and invest in potatoes, in a week what I made from selling potatoes, I have not made such profit in a whileโ.
โA big bag of potatoes now costs N35,000 compared to the June N70,000 price while the medium bag costs N25,000 against N50,000 it was sold in June.
โWith the current price, when I sell the big bag, at least I make a profit of N15,000, and I sell no fewer than eight bags a dayโ.
Also, Regina Ishaku a woman in her mid-50s told NewsNGR that the cost of buying a J5 Van filled with yam runs in millions but when sold she canโt account for her capital so she decided to venture into potatoes.
She said, โOne of the best financial decisions I have made this year is to sell potatoes. I noticed people no longer care for yam but demand sweet potatoes, and I donโt blame them. I need to feed and make money, so I invested in sweet potatoes, even though the crop is perishable unlike yam, it has saved me and I make huge profit.โ
Emmanuella Chris, a mother of three told NewsNGR on Thursday that the price of a healthy tuber of yam would get her two baskets of sweet potatoes.
โA healthy tuber of yam sells for an average price of N6,500, but a basket of sweet potatoes is sold for N3,000. why will I buy one yam, when I can get two baskets of tomatoesโ she told NewsNGR.
She added, โI prepare the potatoes in porridge, pudding, boiled, fried and the likes, the truth is the current economic constraint has made me innovative.โ