Kathmandu, Jan. 14: Demand for roots, including yam, cocoyam and sweet potatoes, has been growing in the market for the past few days ahead of the Maghe Sankranti that falls on Monday. People consume various kinds of yams, either boiled or with some condiments, while marking the Maghe Sankranti festival. They boil the yam on the last day of Poush and eat it the next morning with ghee, chaku and sakhkhar.

Almost a dozen varieties of yams are available in the market. The yam varieties known as Hattipaile, Ban Tarul, Seto Ghar Tarul, Pani Tarul, Patale Tarul and Simal Tarul, among others, can be seen in the market these days. The prices of the yams vary based on their varieties.

Gita Adhikari of Gatthaghar, Bhaktapur said that she bought five kilograms of yam and two kilograms of cocoyam worth Rs. 1,380 Saturday morning. “I purchased two kilograms of Patale Tarul at 250 per kilogram, three kilograms of Seto Tarul at Rs. 100 per kilogram and two kilograms of Ban Tarul at Rs. 200,” she said.

Similarly, she said that she purchased two kilograms of cocoyam at Rs. 90 per kg. She said that the price of yams varied from shop to shop. The price per kg of yam stood at Rs. 90 to Rs. 250 in the retail market, she said, adding that the price of Patale was highly expensive compared to other varieties of yams.

A retailer of Gatthaghar, Bhaktapur Sanjaya Shrestha said that he was selling yams at Rs. 90 to Rs. 250 per kilo based on their quality. Large number of consumers tend to buy yams which are available at Rs. 80-150 per kg. The flow of consumers to purchase roots, including yam, sweet potatoes and cocoyam has increased in the markets from Friday.

“I am selling a kilo of Hattipaile at Rs. 100, Patale at Rs. 250, Bantarul at Rs. 200, Simal at Rs. 90 and yam supplied from Sarlahi at Rs. 80 per kg,” he said. The demand for Patale and Ban Tarul is very low compared to other varieties due to high rates while the demand for yam of Sarhali is high. A consumer normally buys around 3-5 kilograms of yam as per their choice and price, he said.

The price of per kilogram of yam ranges from a minimum Rs. 70 to the maximum of Rs. 200 at wholesale market, said Binaya Shrestha, information officer of Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Board (KFVMDB). He said the Patale and Ban Tarul variety were being sold at above Rs. 200 per kg which makes it the most expensive variety of yam currently available in the market. 

Another variety of yam, which is supplied from Sarlahi district, is being sold at Rs. 70 per kg. This is the cheapest variety in the wholesale market. The price of yams has increased by Rs. 10 per kg this year compared to last year, he said, adding that the price of yam might be increased further by up to Rs. 10-20 per kg on Sunday and Monday as the demand for yams would be high these days.

Shrestha, however, said the price of yam would start to decrease after Maghe Sankrati as the demand for yam would drastically drop. He said that the transaction of yam has been increasing day by day for the last few days as it is the main season to consume the item.

The domestic production of yam is enough to meet the demand this season, he said, adding that more than 70 per cent of yam in Kathmandu is supplied from Sarlahi district and the rest is supplied from other districts.

Daily around 150-200 tonnes of yam is being supplied from various districts, including Sarlahi, Dolakha, Palpa, Dhading, Ilam, Dhankuta, Kavrepalanchowk and various parts of Tarai districts to the Kathmandu Valley for the last three days.

Around 1,221 tonnes of yam entered the Kalimati market by Saturday of the month of Poush, according to KFVMDB. Similarly, around 101 tonnes of cocoyam and 261 tonnes of sweet potato entered the Kalimati market during the period.