The recent song you would hear Nigerians sing lately is the spike in the prices of fresh tomatoes and pepper.
The increase in the prices of fresh tomatoes and pepper adds to the inflation crisis currently being witnessed by Nigerians.
Traders have attributed the spike to insecurity issues,cost of transportation,low production,seasonal fluctuation, amongst others.
They say the harvest period for the current species of tomatoes being sold is almost over with the coming of the wet season across the country.
Muhammed Zango a tomato seller at the popular Bodija Market in Ibadan told Ibadancity Announcer that a basket of quality fresh tomatoes, which sold for between N50,000 and N80,000 in April, now sells for between N140,000 and N150,000.
“I have someone supplying me directly from Kano.But let me tell you, tomatoes do not do well during the rainy season. So the price increases during the season. I also heard that a pest is destroying tomato farms now and this is also one of the causes of tomato scarcity,” he said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, also took to his X Platform page (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday to blame the scarcity of fresh tomatoes on “severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola”
The Minister said the federal government has taken measures to combat the issue.
He said: “A significant number of our tomato farms have been affected by a severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner. This has drastically reduced the availability of tomatoes and contributed to rising costs.
“Our ministry is taking immediate action to combat this issue. We are deploying agricultural experts to affected areas to contain and eliminate the infestation.
“Additionally, we are supporting our farmers with the necessary resources and guidance to recover their crops as quickly as possible, just as we instituted the Ginger Blight Control Taskforce.
“We understand the impact this has on your daily lives and are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore the supply of affordable tomatoes. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.”
In the past month, prices have been on a steady rise as scarcity hit markets across the country.
Consumers have also taken to social media to express worries and complain about the surging prices, comparing price rates in different regions of the country.
Speaking with a mechanized Farmer,who grows vegetables,Mr Soji Adegbite,he said,”150,000 is high but input price is hyper-expensive. NPK fertilizer that was ₦27,000 in January is now over 48k. Staking rope of 8k is now 16k. Cost of seeds has doubled not mentioning fuel cost for irrigating before rain commence & transportation to the market.
Commenting on the issue,a family woman,Mrs Shade Bright said “I bought 9 pieces of fresh tomatoes for N1000 naira yesterday and 5 pieces of pepper for N500.A paint bucket of garri is NGN4,500, a bag is about NGN70,000, 2 tubers of yam for N5,000This is supposed to be a poor man staple food.
“The food inflation is actually getting more ridiculous. I believe the most significant factor is that even individuals who were once engaged in subsistence farming have abandoned it due to security concerns. Unless we ensure the safety of farmers, the prices might continue to rise. It’s the ‘hard way’ and the only way” she lamented.
Report by Adeleke Maria for IbadanCity ANNOUNCER
The recent song you would hear Nigerians sing lately is the spike in the prices of fresh tomatoes and pepper.
The increase in the prices of fresh tomatoes and pepper adds to the inflation crisis currently being witnessed by Nigerians.
Traders have attributed the spike to insecurity issues,cost of transportation,low production,seasonal fluctuation, amongst others.
They say the harvest period for the current species of tomatoes being sold is almost over with the coming of the wet season across the country.
Muhammed Zango a tomato seller at the popular Bodija Market in Ibadan told Ibadancity Announcer that a basket of quality fresh tomatoes, which sold for between N50,000 and N80,000 in April, now sells for between N140,000 and N150,000.
“I have someone supplying me directly from Kano.But let me tell you, tomatoes do not do well during the rainy season. So the price increases during the season. I also heard that a pest is destroying tomato farms now and this is also one of the causes of tomato scarcity,” he said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, also took to his X Platform page (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday to blame the scarcity of fresh tomatoes on “severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola”
The Minister said the federal government has taken measures to combat the issue.
He said: “A significant number of our tomato farms have been affected by a severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner. This has drastically reduced the availability of tomatoes and contributed to rising costs.
“Our ministry is taking immediate action to combat this issue. We are deploying agricultural experts to affected areas to contain and eliminate the infestation.
“Additionally, we are supporting our farmers with the necessary resources and guidance to recover their crops as quickly as possible, just as we instituted the Ginger Blight Control Taskforce.
“We understand the impact this has on your daily lives and are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore the supply of affordable tomatoes. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.”
In the past month, prices have been on a steady rise as scarcity hit markets across the country.
Consumers have also taken to social media to express worries and complain about the surging prices, comparing price rates in different regions of the country.
Speaking with a mechanized Farmer,who grows vegetables,Mr Soji Adegbite,he said,”150,000 is high but input price is hyper-expensive. NPK fertilizer that was ₦27,000 in January is now over 48k. Staking rope of 8k is now 16k. Cost of seeds has doubled not mentioning fuel cost for irrigating before rain commence & transportation to the market.
Commenting on the issue,a family woman,Mrs Shade Bright said “I bought 9 pieces of fresh tomatoes for N1000 naira yesterday and 5 pieces of pepper for N500.A paint bucket of garri is NGN4,500, a bag is about NGN70,000, 2 tubers of yam for N5,000This is supposed to be a poor man staple food.
“The food inflation is actually getting more ridiculous. I believe the most significant factor is that even individuals who were once engaged in subsistence farming have abandoned it due to security concerns. Unless we ensure the safety of farmers, the prices might continue to rise. It’s the ‘hard way’ and the only way” she lamented.
Report by Adeleke Maria for IbadanCity ANNOUNCER
