It is no longer news that tomato is more expensive than apple and petrol in Nigeria at the moment. Tomato is an important element of most meals, used by different people, tribes, and cultures. Many people use tomatoes as garnish, fruits, salad, juice or soup. That is the main reason why the sudden increase in the price of tomato is frightening and this has also affected the price of pepper. Nigerians, especially women, are feeling the pain of this scarcity as they go to the market grumbling and lamenting. Also, men are not left out as they equally feel the pressure on their pockets.
The CEO of Erisco Foods, Lagos, Eric Umeofia laments that tomato processing companies lack access to foreign exchange to enable them buy heat-resistant seedlings and other tools that would help ensure the country’s sufficiency in local production of tomato paste. Similarly, Dangote Tomato Factory recently suspended operations due to the scarcity of tomatoes and the assault on its tomato farms by a tomato leaves destroying moth, known as “tuta absoluta”.
According to research, the price of tomatoes in Nigeria is high due to the recent outbreak of the Tomato disease, Tuta Absoluta. The disease which has destroyed farms across the tomato producing belt of Nigeria, thereby sending the price of the product beyond the reach of many Nigerians is one of the most destructive pests of tomato which is posing a serious threat to tomato production across the country. This pest is crossing borders rapidly and devastating tomato production substantially.
Tuta absoluta is a very harmful leaf mining moth also known as tomato leafminer with a strong preference for tomatoes. Prevention and proper management of the pest are crucial. Chemical control often fails due to the resistance of Tuta absoluta against many pesticides, but also because a big part of its development takes place inside the plant or the soil, out of reach of pesticides.
The pest known as ‘Tuta Absoluta’ has destroyed an estimated 40% of anticipated harvest. Tuta absoluta destroyed this year’s harvest of tomatoes and this pest is difficult to control due to its high mutation capacity and ability to destroy a whole tomato farm in 24 hours.
Another reason for the increment in the price of tomato is that the little they can bring down to the south is already expensive coupling it up with the huge money they spend on transporting it.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, the pest came into the country from Niger Republic and manifests a powerful infestation that could make it impossible for the country to grow tomatoes, if not dealt with.
The fact that “Tomato” is the new “Gold” in Nigeria does not mean Nigerians won’t eat, we will always find a way out. The list of soups we can cook without tomato is very long but few of them are Curry sauce, Edikaikong soup, Pepper stew, Banga stew, Peppersoup, Muhammara, Garden egg sauce, Scent leaf sauce, White soup, Melon soup, Okro Soup, Apon soup, Ofe Onugbu, Ofe Owere, Owho Soup, Nsala soup, Ground nut soup, Efo riro uziza soup, Afang soup and many others. Some women that can’t do without eating the tomato soup have replaced their tomato with tomato paste or pumpkin.
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