Nigerians have cried out as price of Tomatoes and Peppers Skyrocket under Bola Tinubu’s Government.
In most regions of the country, there is growing concern about the deteriorating tomato and pepper shortages, for which buyers and sellers offer various explanations.
Consumers bemoan the shortage and excessive pricing, while businesses bemoan the low customer base.
Speaking to Saturday Ejes Gist, farmers and dealers cited the devastating Tuta Absoluta, also known as tomato ebola, the removal of fuel subsidies and how it affected transportation, and the wet season as the main causes of the commodity’s shortage and sudden disappearance from marketplaces.
Although the scarcity of tomatoes and peppers was largely a yearly occurrence, Mrs. Abiodun Farayola, a tomato vendor in Mowe, Ogun State, told one of our correspondents that the elimination of the petrol subsidy and the subsequent increase in petrol prices had made it more difficult for people to buy tomatoes.
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On Lagos Island, however, Saturday Ejes Gist learned that a tomato-based paint sold for up to N5,000 in Lekki and N8,000 in Victoria Island.
A bag of Scotch bonnet peppers sold for N3,000 at the Jakande market as opposed to N1,000 at the beginning of the year, and a basket of tomatoes went for N50,000.
Some vendors who sold the products claimed the price increase prevented them from restocking.
Mrs. Bumi Jadesola, a different tomato vendor in Magboro, Ogun State, attributed the price increase to the sickness that had decimated tomatoes during the previous five months.
She said, “The Tomato Ebola that damaged the product in the North caused the prices of tomatoes and pepper to initially spike early this year.
Personally, I obtain roughly seven trucks of tomatoes from my farm, but I could only collect three when the infestation happened, and many other farmers had the same experience.”
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“The recent removal of subsidy also affected us because we were already facing an infestation, then we had to transport our products at a ridiculously high cost to different parts of the country,” he said.
“There is no way we won’t see a rise in tomato prices this way.” The second possibility is that we do not generate any money, which is unthinkable because we must continue farming.”
On the other hand, noticed that the market was returning to normal in comparison to recent weeks.
Tomato association reacts
The President, Tomatoes and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria, Mr Bola Oyeleke, who spoke with one of our correspondents, link the scarcity of tomatoes to the disease outbreak, fewer tomato farmers and high temperatures in the North.
He added that farmers recover from the loss they suffered during the cash crunch when most of them sold their produce at giveaway prices.
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Oyeleke said, “During the rainy season, only a few farmers venture into the production of tomatoes, due to financial constraints. The rains came early this year but in the North, there was intense heat which affected the plant. The continuous rain also comes with a lot of bacteria and fungi diseases that affect the plant.”
The TOPAN president further decried farmers’ inability to access loans and grants, saying it was the reason why small-scale farmers were pulling out from the production of tomatoes this year.
Oyeleke added that the tomato ebola experienced earlier in the year also contributed to the scarcity. He noted that the price of tomatoes from the North on Friday sold between N27,000 and N32,000, adding that it would remain so until next month
“We need government intervention and private and individual partnership in the sector,” Oyeleke added
