Zaki Biam Yam Market is the largest yam market in the world. It is an open-air market located in Zaki Biam, a town in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The market specializes in selling and distributing yams, a staple crop in the region. It is a significant hub for yam trading, attracting buyers and sellers from various parts of Nigeria and neighboring countries.
Zaki Biam Yam Market is the largest mono-product market in Nigeria. [1] [2]
The market attracts buyers and sellers from various regions of the Nigeria and even neighboring countries. Buyers from as far as Cameroon, Niger, and Ghana patronize the market. [2] About 200 truckloads of yams depart the market every day and yams are never completely bought. [3] [4]
In June 2020 the Federal Government of Nigeria inaugurated a storage facility in the market to serve as an industrial hub for neighboring yam-producing states like Nasarawa and Taraba. The facility also consists of 660 units of reconstructed stalls/sheds, internal roads, administrative buildings and a solar-powered borehole. [5]
Nigeria is the principal contributor to yam production, boasting an annual 17 million tonnes, constituting a substantial 70-76% share of the worldwide output. The majority of these tubers, amounting to approximately two million weekly, traverse through the Zaki Biam Yam Market, signifying a pivotal hub in the distribution network. [6]
References
- ^ Ugbede, Lois. "Does Nigeria have the biggest Yam market in the World?". dubawa.org. Centre For Journalism Innovation & Development. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Zaki Biam Yam Market Benue State". connectnigeria.com. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "The Sorry Story Of Zaki-Biam Yam Market". dailytrust.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "The World's Biggest Yam Market Located in Benue, Nigeria; Zaki Biam International Yam Market". newscentral.africa. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "MSMEClinic gets 200,000 capacity yam storage facility in Benue". nairametrics.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Top 100 famous markets in the world – P85 - Zaki Biam market (Nigeria): Busiest yam market in Africa". worldkings.org. Retrieved 20 December 2023.