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Medium sized yam sold at a mean ₦3,020 per tuber across all ten Lagos markets in the week to 14 August 2026, down from ₦3,160 a week earlier, a fall of 4.4%. It was the largest weekly decline of any staple food line in the FoodPrices Nigeria basket and the fifth largest across all 27 lines tracked, behind only tomatoes, tatashe, pepper and shombo.
Full Coverage Behind The Number
Unlike several lines in the weekly series, the yam figure rests on readings from every market in the network rather than a partial sample. Nigerian Manufactured Rice draws on six or seven markets and Garri (Ijebu) on five. Yam draws on ten, which makes the 4.4% move one of the better evidenced in the dataset.
The Season Is The Story
The timing matches the calendar. New yam reaches southern markets from August into September, and the arrival of fresh tubers is the standard trigger for a price retreat after the long lean months. The All Farmers Association of Nigeria told Naija News in May that yam was among the staples that could ease once harvest volumes arrived and production conditions improved.
The national data has not caught up. BusinessDay reported that the National Bureau of Statistics named water yam among the items driving food inflation to 20.31% in July 2026, with Vanguard recording the same list. A monthly national average moves slowly against a seasonal supply shift in one city, and the Lagos weekly series is where the turn appears first.
Where Lagos Buys Yam Cheapest
The spread between markets is the widest proportional gap of any staple this week. Agege Market records the cheapest tuber at ₦2,200 against ₦4,000 at Ajah Market, a premium of 81.8% for the same grade. A household buying four tubers a week pays ₦8,800 at Agege and ₦16,000 at Ajah, a difference of ₦7,200 a week and roughly ₦28,800 a month.
Buyers with dry storage have the usual seasonal window. Yam holds for weeks in the right conditions, and the fall is being driven by arrivals rather than by demand weakness, which means it should continue while the harvest keeps moving south.
Live prices: foodprices.ng/real-time-prices/?brand_name=Medium+Sized+Yam