It’s sighs, relief as tomato price crashes to a two-month low

The pain and anguish Nigerian families suffered as a result of scarcity of tomatoes in the last months have disappeared as labour pains after child birth at the labour room!

The Daily Times features desk investigation found that asmall basket of tomato which sold for N25,000 in May, is now going for N800.

When our correspondent visited the Line Dogo (Rail Line) tomatoes and vegetable market in Kaduna recently, it was a beehive of activities as buyers thronged the tomatoes and vegetable market, ushering in fresh life for the first time in months.

Malam Bello Madaki, one of the major merchants, told our correspondent it was a great relief to see the very essential crop survive the plague that sent it out of reach of many homes.

“See, everybody is happy now,” he said, pointing to a basket of fresh tomatoes. “We have not seen a sight like this for a long time.”

It would be recalled that early this year, the healthy supply of the crop was hit by the invasion of the moth, an insect that mutate more during the dry season but don’t survive during the rainy season.

As a result, the basket prices jumped from the range of N800 to N1200 to between N25,000 and N40,000 at the height of the crisis.

The pest, between March and April ravaged tomato farms across the country, badly affecting farms in Kaduna and Abuja environs and beyond.

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 address the situation.

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, 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 was said to have originated from South America around 1912 and has spread to other parts of the world.

It is the specie of moth in the scientific family of Gelechiidae known by the common names of ‘tomato leaf miner’ and South American tomato moth.

The development led many to seek alternatives such as cooking stew with palm nut juice. In Delta it is called Banga Soup and many others yet adopted the use of only tomato puree and dried tomatoes.

Also people blended fresh carrots and pepper to have their stew for rice and other foods. Be that as it may, it is the effect of tomato scarcity.

Also, many traders delved into importing the produce from Ghana, Republic of Benin and Cameroon. Their imports are majorly, the specie called Derica, believed to be of high quality.

But now, tomatoes are gradually coming into the markets because the local specie is now being harvested with the hope that the Derica will by August flood the markets.

Derica is now selling for four or five lobes for N200 as against N500 between February and June.

Mr Bola Oyeleke, the Chairman, Tomatoes and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria (TOPAN), says the pest invasion is the result of not preparing farm lands for six months before actual planting.

“Farmers do not take time to clear, fumigate and ensure that disease-causing pests are eradicated before planting.

“This is partly the result of non-availability of chemicals needed to fumigate farmlands to eradicate the disease causing pests and weed control chemicals,’’ he said.

Mr Adeniyi Sola-Bunmi, the National Co-ordinator, Youth in Agric Business Development and Innovation, Nigeria (YABDI), blamed the pest invasion on obsolete approach of old generation farmers to farming.

According to him, old farmers do not recognise the symptoms of the disease.

“There is need to sensitise farmers about happenings globally as well as need for farmers to use best practices to approach whatever they are doing.

“Farmers need now more of the presence of Extension Officers so that things like the pest invasion can be attended to proactively,’’ he said.

Sola-Bunmi says the pronounced symptoms of brownish leaves are one of the ways Tuta Absoluta can be identified.

He notes that the resultant scarcity of tomatoes was a clarion call for every Nigerian to invest in family farming.

“If we have gardens in our compounds, the effect of the scarcity would not have been much,’’ he said.

For Alhaji Haruna Mohammed, Chairman, Mile 12 Market Perishable Goods Association, the pest, Tuta Absoluta invasion of tomato farms is due to the prolonged dry season.

The farmers, according to him, have planted new tomatoes and they will be available in the markets by August and September.

“The insects come out and are very active during extreme sunshine.

“The insects always attack in dry season and harmattan periods.

“This is not the first time the insects are disturbing tomato farms but this year’s is severe. The insects are not active during rainy period.

“The farmers have planted another set of tomatoes and by September there will be tomatoes as the rain is falling now,’’ he said.

Mohammed says that tomato periods are always from August to early February of every year.

He notes that tomatoes are not available from middle of February to March as these months are not tomato producing periods.

According to him, the traders are buying tomatoes from Cameroon and Ghana to make up until they start harvesting the new ones planted to replace those ravaged by insects.

“It costs between N500, 000 and N600, 000 to bring tomatoes to Lagos from Cameroon and Ghana.

“This is the reason tomatoes are scarce and costly when seen in the market.

“It was a nightmare and tomato traders prayed for August to come so that the nightmare will be over and now here we are!”

Prof. Clement Akoshile, President, Nigerian Meteorological Society (NMetS), says that some of the things that destroy tomatoes and any other produce are the insects that lay caterpillars on them.

“This means that at a particular season the insects come in and do havoc on tomatoes.

“If rainfall is not properly distributed after planting it will be difficult for the plants to survive.

“If there is prolonged drought, little insects will come and lay their eggs and some of the eggs mature into larvae that eat up the plants.

“If they have conducive environment, good temperature, good moisture, they will come and lay their eggs.

“One can spread so fast like locust and destroy everything,’’ he said.

Akoshile adds that if farmers are able to follow Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) predictions on weather and rainfall patterns in different parts of the country they will minimise their losses.

Celebrating the resurgence of tomatoes in the market, Malam Tundu Wahab was full of praise for government efforts.

“The rains coupled with the efforts of government have helped tremendously in making tomato available.” He assured the public that the fear is gone now “and hopefully for good”.

Dr John Olaoye, Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, says the particular species of insects that invade tomato farms are the type that multiply rapidly.

According to him, the insects also have proved resistant to whatever chemicals are being used to eradicate them.

“The issue with the insects that infest tomato farms are that if you are able to spray an insecticide that can control them, they develop resistance while dying.

“And others that come up will prove resistant to whatever chemical that are being applied and that is why it is difficult to stop them.

“The current thing is that we are developing a chemical that will eradicate them in some areas where it had occurred.

“This is one negative effect weather can have on farm lands.

“The insects that have developed some kind of resistance will thrive if the condition is favourable.

“There is no guarantee that it may not occur next year because without good weather, it will not manifest,’’ he said.