The Chairman, Technical Committee on Nigeria Yam Export Programme, Professor Simon Irtwange, says the exportation of yam will not affect local consumption of the produce and its price.
Irtwange gave the assurance Friday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that it was necessary to allay the fears of the citizens that yam would soon become scarce and costlier because of its export.
He said that the technical committee has developed an action plan to meet the demands for export and local consumption of yam.
“The export of yam will serve as incentives for more yam production and we are developing schemes to ensure that. It is not every tuber of yam that has export quality and it is not also every tuber that meets export standard. For export, particular weights and sizes of yam are required. Farmers are learning how to separate export and non-export quality yams,” he said.
According to him, price stability is not possible with agricultural produce, as the prices often go up long after harvests.
