'Tomato Ebola' Sets More Fire On The Tomato Market

'Tomato Ebola' Sets More Fire On The Tomato Market

The Federal Government has declared a state of emergency for the tomato market.

It was found out that moths destroyed bands of tomato fields, which is a severe threat to the supply of the nation’s most stapled food.

Farmers that engage in tomato farming have described this attack as ‘tomato Ebola’, in remembrance of the devastating disease caused by the ‘Ebola virus’.

Tomato is already a luxury in the market as many Nigerians resort to the use of tomato paste instead of fresh tomato, and this impending scarcity would cause more harm than is already evident.

The price of tomato has further risen due to the moth Tuta absoluta, which adds more economic hardship and the daily inflation of Africa’s largest economy.

The Kaduna state commissioner for agriculture, Manzo Daniel, told AFP:

We have declared a state of emergency over the outbreak of a moth that has destroyed over 80% of tomato farms in the state.

The tomato shortage caused by the outbreak has caused prices to go up “astronomically”.

A wholesale basket containing hundreds of tomatoes now sells for N42,000 – N50,000, up from 300 to 1,500 naira before the outbreak.

This is only the beginning of a disaster if we don’t take drastic measures because the disease is fast spreading across the north.

More than 200 tomato farmers in the region have already suffered losses of more than 1bn naira ($5.02m) from the disease.

Experts have been sent to Kenya to develop a strategy to combat the brown moth, which lays eggs on tomato plants and develops into a hungry caterpillar that feeds on the leaves, stems and fruit.

More than 90% of 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of tomato fields outside the northern city of Kano have been destroyed by the insect, according to the state’s agriculture officials.

A $200m tomato processing factory built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has been forced to shut down because of the shortfall in supply, its managing director, Abdulkareem Kaita, said.

Tuta absoluta, which originated in South America and spread to Europe and Africa, quickly develops resistance to pesticides, making it difficult to contain.

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