small basket of tomato, which sold for N25,000
in May, is now going for N800 in Kaduna. And,
no, it is not a joke.
It had been all anger and pain for households as
the price of tomatoes hit the roof across the
country as a result of scarcity caused by tuta
absoluta, also known as ‘tomatoc ebola’.
This affected the crop in most parts of the north-
west, notably Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina and Kano
states.
As a result, the basket prices jumped from the
range of N800-N1200 to between N25,000 and
N40,000 at the height of the crisis.
At the Line Dogo (Rail Line) tomatoes and
vegetable market in Kaduna on Saturday, it was a
beehive of activities.
Buyers could not believe their eyes as tomato
prices had crashed to a two-month low.
Abass Mai Tumatur, chairman of the tomato
sellers, told TheCable it was a “pleasant relief” for
everyone as tomato is now available and in large
quantities.
Mai Tumatur: Things are getting better
“Tomato scarcity is nothing new, but it was made
worse this year by the invasion of the moth,” he
said.
He said the insects mutate more during the dry
season but don’t survive during the rainy season.
“The rains coupled with the efforts of government
have helped tremendously in making
tomato available,” he said, praising the
government for the “timely intervention”.
He assured the public that the fear is gone now
“and hopefully for good”.
Farmers were left stranded and helpless as the
moth ravaged their farms and left destruction
across the farming community, making a pot of
soup as expensive as gold.
Hotels and restaurants, in particular, faced a
nightmare as the crisis also shot up the price of
canned tomato paste.
Many were not aware of the reasons for the
scarcity as frantic efforts were made to to
address the situation.
Nasir el-Rufai, the Kaduna state governor,
declared a state of emergency and dispatched
officials to Kenya to find ways of tackling the
ravaging insects.
The cost of the destruction in the state, according
to el-Rufai, was close to N1 billion.
Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural
development, also commissioned experts to find
solutions to the disease outbreak “as soon as
possible”.
The insect originated from South America around
1912 and has spread to other parts of the world.
Reports suggest the insect came to Africa
through Republic of Niger.
in May, is now going for N800 in Kaduna. And,
no, it is not a joke.
It had been all anger and pain for households as
the price of tomatoes hit the roof across the
country as a result of scarcity caused by tuta
absoluta, also known as ‘tomatoc ebola’.
This affected the crop in most parts of the north-
west, notably Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina and Kano
states.
As a result, the basket prices jumped from the
range of N800-N1200 to between N25,000 and
N40,000 at the height of the crisis.
At the Line Dogo (Rail Line) tomatoes and
vegetable market in Kaduna on Saturday, it was a
beehive of activities.
Buyers could not believe their eyes as tomato
prices had crashed to a two-month low.
Abass Mai Tumatur, chairman of the tomato
sellers, told TheCable it was a “pleasant relief” for
everyone as tomato is now available and in large
quantities.
Mai Tumatur: Things are getting better
“Tomato scarcity is nothing new, but it was made
worse this year by the invasion of the moth,” he
said.
He said the insects mutate more during the dry
season but don’t survive during the rainy season.
“The rains coupled with the efforts of government
have helped tremendously in making
tomato available,” he said, praising the
government for the “timely intervention”.
He assured the public that the fear is gone now
“and hopefully for good”.
Farmers were left stranded and helpless as the
moth ravaged their farms and left destruction
across the farming community, making a pot of
soup as expensive as gold.
Hotels and restaurants, in particular, faced a
nightmare as the crisis also shot up the price of
canned tomato paste.
Many were not aware of the reasons for the
scarcity as frantic efforts were made to to
address the situation.
Nasir el-Rufai, the Kaduna state governor,
declared a state of emergency and dispatched
officials to Kenya to find ways of tackling the
ravaging insects.
The cost of the destruction in the state, according
to el-Rufai, was close to N1 billion.
Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural
development, also commissioned experts to find
solutions to the disease outbreak “as soon as
possible”.
The insect originated from South America around
1912 and has spread to other parts of the world.
Reports suggest the insect came to Africa
through Republic of Niger.
0 Comments