Yam prices hit lowest level in 2 months
What you need to know:
- Retail prices for a group of yams decreased to Sh1,000 from Sh2,000 during the same period.
- Wholesalers attribute the price decrease to increased supply.
Dar es Salaam. Yam prices have fallen to the lowest level in two months.
A survey in city markets has established that the wholesale price for a 110 kilo-bag of yams dwindled to Sh80,000 on Monday this week, from around Sh130,000 on July 15 this year.
Retail prices for a group of yams decreased to Sh1,000 from Sh2,000 during the same period.
Wholesalers attribute the price decrease to increased supply.
“Irrigation farming has increased production,” Mabibo market wholesaler Said Musa said.
Morogoro, Ruvu, Rufiji in Ikwiriri and Kigamboni are main sources of yams on sale in city markets.
Tandika market chairman Mohamed Mwekya attributed the price decrease to increased supplies of yams, cassava and sweet potatoes in the market.
Nutritionists says yams are rich in starch, and can be prepared in many ways. They are available all year round, unlike other, unreliable, seasonal crops. These characteristics make yam a preferred food and a culturally important food security crop in some sub-Saharan African countries.
In 2014, worldwide production of yams was 68.1 million tonnes, led by Nigeria, with 66 per cent of the global total. The world average annual yield of yams was 8.8 tonnes per hectare in 2014.
