Gari costs rising beyond the reach of the common man as a shortfall in cassava production bites

NIGERIA'S main staple gari otherwise known as the common man's food gas seen a 108% increase in price over the last three months pushing it to a record high due to a combination of record inflation and a fall in cassava production.

Accounting for about 20% of global production, Nigeria is the world's largest cassava producer, with an annual output of about 60m tonnes. Gari, like a lot of Nigerian other staple foods like lafun and fufu are made from cassava but gari has always been cheap because it does not require any cooking and can be eaten without any stew or soup.

Of late, however, Nigeria is reeling from the effects of unprecedented inflation, which have hit basic foodstuff prices hard. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, food inflation increased to 35.42% in January this year as the removal of petrol subsidies has pushed up transportation costs and subsequently retail prices.

A survey if major markets in the Federal Capital Territory shows that the average price of a 50kg bag of yellow gari surged by 108% to N37,500 in March 2024 from N18,000 in December 2023. Similarly, a four litre paint container measure of yellow gari now sells for an average of N2,500 as against N1,200 sold in December 2023, while a 50kg bag of white gari sells for N35,000 as against N17,000 in December 2023.

Cassava production in 2023 was, hampered across Nigeria by a number of factors including the impact of climate change, worsening insecurity and the uncertainty around last year’s elections. Segun Adewumi, the national president of the Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, said a lot of farmers were discouraged from cultivating tubers last year owing to uncertainty surrounding the 2023 elections.

He added: “The uncertainty and potential disruption during the change in government discouraged farmers from cultivating cassava as extensively as usual. This is what led to the production shortfall."

With the recent hike in the cost of gari, like other food items, many Nigerians are now finding it difficult to afford it. In response to the current crisis, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the release of food stocks nationwide.