By Akinnodi Francis
There is a rising anxiety over the worsening scarcity of tomatoes and peppers in most parts of the country, with consumers and sellers adducing different reasons for the scarcity.
While traders lament low patronage, consumers lament the scarcity and high prices.
Farmers and traders who spoke with The Hope highlighted the ravaging Tuta Absoluta, popularly known as tomato ebola; fuel subsidy removal and its effect on transportation; and the rainy season as major reasons behind the scarcity of the commodity and its sudden disappearance from markets.
A tomato seller in Shasha market, Ondo State, Mrs Abiodun Farayola, said although the scarcity of tomato and pepper were relatively an annual experience, the removal of the petrol subsidy and increased fuel price had made them more expensive.
She said, “Tomato and pepper are now expensive because of the high fuel prices as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy. These food items are transported from the North to the South and the transporters make use of trucks which are dependent on fuel, so they added their fuel expenses to the cost of transporting tomatoes and pepper.
“Almost every year, there is usually a period where tomatoes go out of season and become scarce. That one is normal. But this year, things have been different because of the fuel hike which has led to an increase in food prices.”
A trader, Abdullahi Musa, who sells tomatoes and pepper in baskets in the market, said, “It is not our fault that tomatoes are expensive now. Transportation from the North to Ondo has doubled, more so the rains damage most of the produce harvested, so the quantity coming into the state is limited.
Another seller, Bilikis Oluyode, lamented that the subsidy removal was choking her business.
She said a bowl of tomatoes which was formally sold to her at N3,500 increased to N6,000.
She added that patronage had also reduced over time as customers’ demand for tomato and pepper had dropped.
The Hope gathered that a basket of tomatoes was now selling for N40,000 as against N23,000 at the beginning of the year.
A crate of tomatoes sold for N24,000 as against the initial N7,000, while a paint bucket size had risen to N4,500 from N1,000.
Scotch bonnet pepper, popularly called ata rodo, were shaded in small bowls, each was sold for N1,000 as against N500 a few months ago.
Some traders, who sold the commodities, said they had not been able to restock because of the price hike.
Meanwhile, a housewife, Mrs Adeyemi, lamented that she bought five small balls of tomatoes for N1,000 on Saturday.
She added, “Sometimes, you go to the market and you don’t even see tomatoes to buy in the market. It has been terrible for us. I have to use other peppers and canned tomato paste to support my cooking these days.”
Also a woman, Mrs Theresa Ijabiyi, said the scarcity of tomatoes in the market had pushed her into using tomato paste with blended peppers and onion for her stew dishes.
“Even if the tomato is expensive, we can still manage to buy what we can afford, but in my area here, we don’t even see tomatoes to purchase. I have to send somebody all the way to Shasha market to buy and they usually come back with small amounts for ridiculous amounts of money.”
The President, Tomatoes and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria, TOPAN, Mr Bola Oyeleke, attributed the scarcity of tomatoes to the disease outbreak, fewer tomato farmers and high temperatures in the North.
He added that farmers were yet to recover from the loss they suffered during the cash crunch when most of them sold their produce at giveaway prices.
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.”
There is a rising anxiety over the worsening scarcity of tomatoes and peppers in most parts of the country, with consumers and sellers adducing different reasons for the scarcity.
While traders lament low patronage, consumers lament the scarcity and high prices.
Farmers and traders who spoke with The Hope highlighted the ravaging Tuta Absoluta, popularly known as tomato ebola; fuel subsidy removal and its effect on transportation; and the rainy season as major reasons behind the scarcity of the commodity and its sudden disappearance from markets.
A tomato seller in Shasha market, Ondo State, Mrs Abiodun Farayola, said although the scarcity of tomato and pepper were relatively an annual experience, the removal of the petrol subsidy and increased fuel price had made them more expensive.
She said, “Tomato and pepper are now expensive because of the high fuel prices as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy. These food items are transported from the North to the South and the transporters make use of trucks which are dependent on fuel, so they added their fuel expenses to the cost of transporting tomatoes and pepper.
“Almost every year, there is usually a period where tomatoes go out of season and become scarce. That one is normal. But this year, things have been different because of the fuel hike which has led to an increase in food prices.”
A trader, Abdullahi Musa, who sells tomatoes and pepper in baskets in the market, said, “It is not our fault that tomatoes are expensive now. Transportation from the North to Ondo has doubled, more so the rains damage most of the produce harvested, so the quantity coming into the state is limited.
Another seller, Bilikis Oluyode, lamented that the subsidy removal was choking her business.
She said a bowl of tomatoes which was formally sold to her at N3,500 increased to N6,000.
She added that patronage had also reduced over time as customers’ demand for tomato and pepper had dropped.
The Hope gathered that a basket of tomatoes was now selling for N40,000 as against N23,000 at the beginning of the year.
A crate of tomatoes sold for N24,000 as against the initial N7,000, while a paint bucket size had risen to N4,500 from N1,000.
Scotch bonnet pepper, popularly called ata rodo, were shaded in small bowls, each was sold for N1,000 as against N500 a few months ago.
Some traders, who sold the commodities, said they had not been able to restock because of the price hike.
Meanwhile, a housewife, Mrs Adeyemi, lamented that she bought five small balls of tomatoes for N1,000 on Saturday.
She added, “Sometimes, you go to the market and you don’t even see tomatoes to buy in the market. It has been terrible for us. I have to use other peppers and canned tomato paste to support my cooking these days.”
Also a woman, Mrs Theresa Ijabiyi, said the scarcity of tomatoes in the market had pushed her into using tomato paste with blended peppers and onion for her stew dishes.
“Even if the tomato is expensive, we can still manage to buy what we can afford, but in my area here, we don’t even see tomatoes to purchase. I have to send somebody all the way to Shasha market to buy and they usually come back with small amounts for ridiculous amounts of money.”
The President, Tomatoes and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria, TOPAN, Mr Bola Oyeleke, attributed the scarcity of tomatoes to the disease outbreak, fewer tomato farmers and high temperatures in the North.
He added that farmers were yet to recover from the loss they suffered during the cash crunch when most of them sold their produce at giveaway prices.
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.”
There is a rising anxiety over the worsening scarcity of tomatoes and peppers in most parts of the country, with consumers and sellers adducing different reasons for the scarcity.
While traders lament low patronage, consumers lament the scarcity and high prices.
Farmers and traders who spoke with The Hope highlighted the ravaging Tuta Absoluta, popularly known as tomato ebola; fuel subsidy removal and its effect on transportation; and the rainy season as major reasons behind the scarcity of the commodity and its sudden disappearance from markets.
A tomato seller in Shasha market, Ondo State, Mrs Abiodun Farayola, said although the scarcity of tomato and pepper were relatively an annual experience, the removal of the petrol subsidy and increased fuel price had made them more expensive.
She said, “Tomato and pepper are now expensive because of the high fuel prices as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy. These food items are transported from the North to the South and the transporters make use of trucks which are dependent on fuel, so they added their fuel expenses to the cost of transporting tomatoes and pepper.
“Almost every year, there is usually a period where tomatoes go out of season and become scarce. That one is normal. But this year, things have been different because of the fuel hike which has led to an increase in food prices.”
A trader, Abdullahi Musa, who sells tomatoes and pepper in baskets in the market, said, “It is not our fault that tomatoes are expensive now. Transportation from the North to Ondo has doubled, more so the rains damage most of the produce harvested, so the quantity coming into the state is limited.
Another seller, Bilikis Oluyode, lamented that the subsidy removal was choking her business.
She said a bowl of tomatoes which was formally sold to her at N3,500 increased to N6,000.
She added that patronage had also reduced over time as customers’ demand for tomato and pepper had dropped.
The Hope gathered that a basket of tomatoes was now selling for N40,000 as against N23,000 at the beginning of the year.
A crate of tomatoes sold for N24,000 as against the initial N7,000, while a paint bucket size had risen to N4,500 from N1,000.
Scotch bonnet pepper, popularly called ata rodo, were shaded in small bowls, each was sold for N1,000 as against N500 a few months ago.
Some traders, who sold the commodities, said they had not been able to restock because of the price hike.
Meanwhile, a housewife, Mrs Adeyemi, lamented that she bought five small balls of tomatoes for N1,000 on Saturday.
She added, “Sometimes, you go to the market and you don’t even see tomatoes to buy in the market. It has been terrible for us. I have to use other peppers and canned tomato paste to support my cooking these days.”
Also a woman, Mrs Theresa Ijabiyi, said the scarcity of tomatoes in the market had pushed her into using tomato paste with blended peppers and onion for her stew dishes.
“Even if the tomato is expensive, we can still manage to buy what we can afford, but in my area here, we don’t even see tomatoes to purchase. I have to send somebody all the way to Shasha market to buy and they usually come back with small amounts for ridiculous amounts of money.”
The President, Tomatoes and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria, TOPAN, Mr Bola Oyeleke, attributed the scarcity of tomatoes to the disease outbreak, fewer tomato farmers and high temperatures in the North.
He added that farmers were yet to recover from the loss they suffered during the cash crunch when most of them sold their produce at giveaway prices.
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.”
