Consumers of fresh tomatoes in Nigeria are gradually switching to
pastes, on account of a ravaging insect pest known as ‘Tuta
Absoluta’ which has destroyed an estimated 40 percent of
anticipated harvest, causing prices to shoot up by 105 percent,
from N17,000 to N35,000 per basket.
Many fresh tomato sellers have also resorted to purchasing the
produce from neighbouring countries, especially the Republic of
Benin and Cameroon, in an effort to bridge the shortfall in Nigeria.
The disease which farmers also refer to as ‘Tomato Ebola’ has
reduced locally available fresh tomatoes, forcing consumers to buy
canned purees/pastes which are relatively cheaper.
Tuta absoluta is a harmful leaf mining moth, also called tomato
leaf miner and has a strong preference for the tomato plant.
The moth travels and breeds in swarms and has a reputation for
swiftly ravaging tomato cultivation in a little above 48 hours –
prompting farmers to nickname it Tomato Ebola.
The moth and its lava feed on the leaves of the tomato plant,
depriving it of the nutrient to flower and develop friut.
The disease has spread across tomato farmlands in the north of
Nigeria, including areas in and around Makarfi, Hunkuyi, Soba and
Zuntu villages in Kaduna State; in Danja, Katsina State, and in
Kadawa, Dakasoye and Kura villages in Kano State, according to
Agro Nigeria.
Tomatoes constitute 18 percent of all vegetables consumed by
Nigeria’s 180 million populace, according to a research by the
Agricultural Economics Department of the University of Ibadan, Oyo
State Nigeria.
Nigeria’s domestic demand for tomatoes is put at 2.3 million
tonnes, while it produces only 1.8 million tons annually, according
to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(FMARD).
A cross section of consumers in Lagos and other major cities told
BusinessDay that they had to resort to buying tomato puree when
they found that the price of the fresh fruit had risen by over 100
percent.
“There is a disease now that has made fresh tomatoes more
expensive. You can imagine that a basket of tomatoes which went
for N17,000 last month now sells for almost N35,000. Some of us
now buy the cheaper cans and sachets,” said Alice Aliagun,
managing director of small-scale Sandton Shop in Lagos.
According to Lawal Biliya Adam, secretary, tomato section of the
perishable goods segment of Mile 12 Market in Lagos, there is
scarcity of tomatoes currently in the market, owing to ‘Tuta
Absoluta’ disease that has affected most tomato farmlands in the
north.“We now send some of our boys to Cameroon to buy
tomatoes since we cannot meet up with demand,” Adam said.
“Sellers bring in tomato from Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic to
sell in Nigeria,” said Abiodun Oyelekan, Lagos State president of
FADAMA project, and chief executive officer of Farm Fresh Agric
Ventures.
According to Oyelekan, countries on the West Africa coast usually
complement one another in the area of vegetables because when
there is scarcity of tomatoes in one country, there is a surplus in
others.
Bashir Zakari, a tomato seller in Mile 12 market said a basket of
tomatoes now sells between N28,000 and N35,000 depending of
the size of the basket, as against N17,000 and N18,000 obtainable
a month ago.
“The price of tomatoes usually goes up by this time of the year,
but this year’s increase is higher because of the tomato disease
that has affected some farms in the north. It has also been raining
excessively in the north and this inhibits the progress of
tomatoes,” he added.
I wonder what the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture is saying or doing in all this? I wonder what measures the ministry is taking to ensure that this doesn't become a reoccuring problem not only with Tomotoes but with other Nigerian stable crops.
No comments:
Post a Comment