A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday showed that corn prices have risen by 50 per cent in Enugu State.
The high cost of boiled and roasted corn has forced it out of the reach of many families and lovers of corn in the state.
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However, the survey showed that the price may likely reduce in the next few months when many corn farmers have completed their harvest, leading to increased production and a subsequent drop in prices.
Some farmers and sellers who spoke to NAN blamed the hike in price on the absence of rainfall due to climate change, while the few who have harvested their corn blamed it on the cost of hiring labourers and prices of other commodities in the market.
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A corn seller, Amarachi Eze, said seven pieces of corn she bought for N1,000 in 2024 were now sold for N2,000. She stressed that they now sell corn between N400 and N500 per piece, depending on the size.
“If you sell all the seven at N500, you gain N1,500, but if you sell at N400, you will gain N800. This is because I buy directly from the farmers.
“Out of this gain, you pay for transport, charcoal and paper to wrap the corn to sell to customers. The least amount of charcoal is now N500; you add other expenses, which are all responsible for the increase in price,” she explained.
Another corn seller, Mama Ejima, said, “The corn is just coming out as many have not started harvesting, and it (the price) will soon drop.
“I bought small bag of corn that contained about 80 pieces for N25,500, which sold for N13,000 last year,” she said.
She said she sells her corn between N300 to N500, adding that corn was everywhere by this time last year.
A farmer, John Oroke, blamed the increase in price of corn on late rainfall, which he blamed on climate change, emphasising that when a farmer applies fertiliser on a corn farm without adequate rainfall, it would kill it.
According to him, the cereal crop needs constant rainfall for quality yield, as the rainfall pattern in Enugu was not adequate for corn farming.
According to Emmanuel Okafor, another farmer, it costs a lot to hire labourers to work on the farm.
He complained that the sun’s heat killed his corn when rainfall was delayed, while herders and their cows destroyed part of the farm.
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“I am calling on the government to assist Enugu farmers with irrigation for all-season corn farming and to address farmer-herders’ issues in the state,” he appealed.
A buyer, Ogechukwu Nweke, said she felt bad about the cost of things, including corn, in the country.
“But what can we do? We have to buy it. I am appealing to the government to support farmers to increase their yield,” she said.
