The price of the fruit has increased by 400 percent, Nigerians now pay around 200 Naira for the same quantity of tomatoes which was sold at 50 Naira few months ago. But while there have been different rumours concerning the tomato scarcity, the real reason for the scarcity is a devastating pest attack which has affected this year’s harvest.
The pest known as Tuta Absoluta has reportedly affected tomato farms in Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Plateau states. Initially when Dangote Farms Tomato Processing Factory announced that it has halted operations in its $20 million tomato paste facility due to a scarcity of tomatoes, barely two months after beginning operations, it came as a surprise to many that believed Dangote was the reason for the tomatoes shortage plaguing Nigeria.
Nigeria is the 14th largest producer of tomatoes in the world. It is also the largest producer of tomatoes in sub-Saharan Africa and the eighth largest importer of tomato paste in the world after Iraq and Japan.
Things You Didn't Know about The Tomato Pest - ‘Tuta absoluta'
- Tuta absoluta is also known by the common name tomato leafminer or the South American tomato moth
- It was first discovered in South America and has been spreading rapidly across the world from South America
- It has the ability to destroy a whole tomato farm within 48 hours
- It is also very difficult to control as it has a high mutation capacity with the ability to develop a resistance to insecticides
- Around this time in 2015, farmers in some parts of Nigeria recorded losses as a result of this same pest attack but the consequences of this attack weren’t reflected in the price of the commodity because the demand for the crop wasn’t as high as it is now.
- It took Sudan about three years to recover from a similar attack in 2010.
- This plague could also dampen the export of fruits and vegetables.
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