By LUCYCHINDABA
PLATEAU State, widely known as Nigeria’s agricultural hub for its diverse produce ranging from guinea corn, millet, maize and rice to assorted vegetables and fruits, is once again making headlines with its signature crop—Irish Potato. Records show that about 90 per cent of the Irish Potato grown in Nigeria comes from the state, making it a staple in Plateau households and a delicacy among elites in other parts of the country.
A few years ago, however, Irish Potato production in Plateau State nearly collapsed due to Potato Blight, a devastating disease that made the crop scarce and pushed prices to record highs. Reports indicated that as of last year, a bag sold for between N120,000 and N150,000, placing it far beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.
Today, however, the situation has dramatically reversed.
Farmers are celebrating a bumper harvest that has forced prices down to an all-time low, with a bag selling between N25,000 and N35,000. While traders welcome the increased demand, farmers remain worried about profitability, storage and future sustainability
Traders celebrate lower prices
Traders at the Farin Gada and Bokkos markets expressed excitement at the fall in prices. Mrs Loveth Azi, a trader along Lamingo Road, said: “We’re happy now that the price has gone down because we’re having more market, more customers are buying. In fact, now I go to Farin Gada almost every day. I sell one bag almost every day because it is cheap and people are coming to buy.”
According to her, a four-litre plastic container of Irish Potato that previously sold for N5,000 is now going for N2,000, with three selling for N5,000. She recalled that last year, the same quantity went as high as N10,000. Lower prices, she explained, mean faster sales and reduced losses from spoilage.
Another trader, Agnes James of Anguwan Rukuba, who gets her supply directly from Bokkos, explained that the variety also determines pricing.
She explained: “I order what they call selected, and the price for a bag is N35,000. On the other hand, if you just want it mixed—big and small—you can get it for as low as N23,000 to N25,000. I know my customers don’t like small ones, so I order the selected and deliver to them directly.”
She added that last year, when prices hit as high as N120,000, sales slowed significantly as only few people could afford to buy.
Farmers fear losses despite bumper harvest Farmers, however, expressed mixed feelings about the development. One of them, who preferred anonymity, noted: ” We’re thanking God for a bumper harvest and
market is good. But we have a problem. What we have harvested, we cannot consume all now, so what do we do with the remaining? We do not have storage facilities. And also, the issue of the cost of fertiliser is a big problem. We are selling it cheap now because of the bumper harvest, but we are not making gain.”
He attributed the successful harvest to delayed rains, which limited the spread of Blight that had devastated crops in previous years.
This turnaround may also be linked to state government interventions. In an interview with THE NIGERIA STANDARD, Plateau State Commissioner for Agriculture, Samson Bugama, revealed that government had introduced improved seed varieties to replace those already in their 13th and 14th generations, which were highly vulnerable to disease.
Despite these gains, experts insist that government must move beyond seed supply to address the recurring challenge of post-harvest losses, caused by lack of storage facilities and technical know-how. Without such measures, the current price relief for consumers could spell long-term losses for farmers and threaten the sustainability of Plateau’s potato economy.