‘Tomato Ebola’ destroys 40% of Nigeria’s tomato harvest
– ‘Tomato Ebola’ has reduced locally available fresh tomatoes
– Many fresh tomato sellers have resorted to purchasing the product from neighbouring countries
– Some people are gradually switching to tomato pastes
The ravaging insect pest known as ‘Tuta Absoluta’ has destroyed an estimated 40% of anticipated harvest. However Nigerians are gradually switching to pastes, on account of prices that has gone up by 105%, from N17,000 to N35,000 per basket.
According to BusinessDay, 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.
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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 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).
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Alice Aliagun, managing director of small-scale Sandton shop in Lagos said: “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”.
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. The secretary said: “We now send some of our boys to Cameroon to buy tomatoes since we cannot meet up with demand”.
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