FG Moves to Find Solution to Rising Tomato Price, Gives Reasons for Hike

• The price of tomato increased significantly in Lagos and other parts of the country, heightening the hardship facing Nigerians
• Research has found that the product is affected by the Tuta Absoluta outbreak in some farmlands in Kaduna and Kano
• Meanwhile, the federal government said that it is already taking immediate action to combat this issue

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over three years of experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Lagos has seen a 200% surge in tomato prices due to the recent Tuta Absoluta outbreak in some farmlands in Kaduna and Kano, two of the country's main tomato-growing states.

In addition, Business Day reported that analysts say the price increase is due to seasonality since tomato crops perform poorly during the rainy season, and prices are always predicted to rise during that time.

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According to a market survey, a large basket of fresh tomatoes at Mile 12 Market in Lagos now sells for between N100,000 and N150,000, depending on negotiation and quality, compared to N40,000 and N50,000 in April and early May.

Tomato farmers give reasons

According to Sani Danladi, national chairman of the Association of Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, the invasion of farmlands in major growing states by the Tuta Absoluta pest is the main cause of the high cost of tomatoes in the nation.

He added that the crop does not perform well during the rainy season because of the early onset of the rainy season.

Tuta Absabsolutas has a reputation for swiftly ravaging tomato cultivation in just over 48 hours, prompting farmers to nickname it Tomato Ebola.

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It can breed between 10-12 generations in a year with the female capable of laying between 250 to 300 eggs within its lifetime.

Tasiu Haruna, a local tomato farmer in Kaduna, explained that climate change is also a significant challenge affecting crop production in the north.

More about Tuta absoluta

Since 2015, the country has yearly suffered from the outbreak of Tuta and experts say that the recurrence of Tomato Ebola without any solution to tackle it at a national scale in Nigeria shows that relevant authorities seem helpless on preventive measures.

Data and research analyst Loren Agwulonu stated that she is left searching for alternatives due to increased tomato costs.

Agwulonu expressed her surprise at receiving four pieces of fresh fruit for N500 in the Ago Palace neighbourhood of Lagos.

How FG is solving the problem

In a post on the X platform, Agriculture minister, Abubakar Kyari, stated that as part of its effort to regulate tomato prices, the federal government is making every effort to stop the disease's spread.

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He said:

“Our ministry is taking immediate action to combat this issue. We are deploying agricultural experts to affected areas to contain and eliminate the infestation.

Additionally, we are supporting our farmers with the necessary resources and guidance to recover their crops as quickly as possible, just as we instituted the Ginger Blight Control Taskforce.”

Price of rice, garri, tomato increase again

Legit.ng earlier reported a new report by the National Bureau of Statistics which showed an increase in the price of various food items in Nigeria.

According to Selected Food Price Watch, the average cost of one kilogram of locally marketed loose rice in April 2024 was N1,399.34.

This showed that the price increased by 155.93% year over year from 546.76 in April 2023 and 3.47% month over month from N1,340.74 in March 2024.

Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng