Abuja yam farmers have blamed the poor and low yield this year on late rainfall.

In separate interviews in Abuja, the farmers said this had led to a poor harvest of yam this year compared to the previous year.

Philip Kutayi, one of the farmers, said Bwari was known for its yam cultivation in Abuja and a supplier to many retailers. He, however, said that this year was a bit different because those who had harvested so far had recorded low yields and rotten produce.

“Most of us cannot even boast of enough to take home, not to mention taking to the market for sale. This year’s harvest was just somehow, and I think it is because the rains did not come early,” Mr Kutayi stated. “I was lucky to have a few good ones; some of my fellow farmers got rotten produce in spite of their efforts. Some planted sweet potatoes immediately to compensate.”

Mr Kutayi added that although the prices of yams may be high in the market because of other economic factors, he was hopeful that the prices would reduce soon.

Similarly, Dahilo Mathew, a yam farmer, said that he cultivated his produce early enough, but the rains came a bit late, affecting his yield.

He said, “Last year, I was able to harvest over 400 tubers from what I cultivated and sold very well and also got to keep good seedlings, but this season, there are too many issues.

“It started with the effect of climate change, then hungry thieves who stole the yams, and now, transportation and logistics may determine the market price for those who have enough to sell.”

In a similar development, some yam sellers in the Gwagwalada area said the rising cost of transportation and insecurity in the country hurt sales.

Eunice David, one of the sellers, said that the commodity had recorded low patronage due to an increase in its price. She added that consumers now sought other alternatives like sweet potatoes.

“We spend a lot to transport yam from Ekiti and Ondo states down to Abuja. Initially, we paid N5,000 for transportation, but now we pay as much as N20,000 and above to bring down the produce from these states,” said Ms David. “By now, yam is supposed to be cheap because this is the harvest season, but with the cost of fuel and what the farmers are facing, it is making it more expensive.”

Comparing the produce to last year’s sale, Ms David said that five average-sized tubers used to cost between N4,000 and N5,000, but now that ranges from N8,000 to N11,000.

She said the bigger sizes sold between N11,000 and N16,000, compared to N6,000 to N8,000 in the past. Ms David also explained that some of the farmers had expressed fear of going to their farms to either cultivate or harvest due to the insecurity challenge they faced.

Ms David added that this had affected supplies.

However, Ladi Adejoh, a yam seller, was optimistic that the production cost might decrease, irrespective of the present economic challenges.

She also added that many farmers in the FCT had yet to harvest their produce and believed that the price may come down when they did.

“I know the prices of yam might come down when farmers in Abuja start harvesting the common Makakusa yam. By then, there will be a slight fall in the price,” Ms Adejoh pointed out. “What we have in the markets now is only the Jalingo and Daonitsha yam from other states; that’s why it is still expensive.”

(NAN)