Many Nigerians have now said adieu to their once-loved staples as food prices keeps rising and affects their affordability.
As per the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), there was a 15.62 percent increase in food inflation in June 2024 compared to June 2023, with a year-over-year increase of 40.87 percent.
Due to its exorbitant cost, yam, one of the main staples, appears to have disappeared from many families’ menus.
A yam tuber that feeds a family of five now costs N10,000, compared to N3,000 or N3,500 during the same period last year.
Numerous Nigerians’ choices have been adversely impacted by the harsh economic circumstances that the nation is currently facing in numerous ways. Their eating choices show this, as the cost of food has risen beyond their means.
The ongoing pressure on the cost of staple foods has caused financial holes in many Nigerian households, leaving a large number of people undernourished and hungry.
In particular, the sharp increase in yam’s cost has reduced its appeal to many families as a meal choice, making it nearly hard to satiate the appetites and demands of both children and adults.
It’s hard for the local food merchants to maintain the yam-based cuisine. In the same way, distributors and sellers of yams do not find it advantageous.
Retailers have resorted to selling yam in pieces to make it more accessible for people who cannot purchase a full tuber, in an effort to both retain customers and keep the market afloat in light of the fall in both buyers and sellers.
Mama Ogieva, a yam vendor at the Ijesha market in Surulere, Lagos, said in a quick interview that “many customers no longer buy yam as much, and as often as they bought last year.”
“Not everyone who used to buy a whole tuber of big-sized yams can afford it now because it’s so pricey. I used to sell the big tubers for roughly 5000 naira last year, but as I speak with you today, the price has doubled to N10,000.”
“We frequently end up with a lot of broken tubers during the offloading and shading of the goods, which eventually brings satisfaction to some customers due to the price hike.”
“That is why we now cut certain tubers into smaller sizes, some into halves, and some into smaller bits based on how many customers have. Aside from clearing out stock and avoiding loss due to deterioration and waste, it appears to make a lot more sense than whole tubers these days.”
She went on to say that people are thinking carefully about what they do and how they spend their money these days. They’re against waste.
She claims, “Buying the ‘cut yam’ also helps individuals avoid purchasing an entire tuber just to discover that some pieces are defective. However, you are aware that this is a result of insufficient funds. When people were wealthy and could purchase yam tubers, they didn’t care if the tubers were unhealthy or not. At the time, they could afford it.”
Speaking about the impact of the high cost on vendors, she stated, “Before now, two or three people could comfortably contribute to buy a complete truckload of yam tubers, but not anymore. Nowadays, large yam retailers purchase truckloads of yams in quantities of five, six, and even ten.”
