The costly truth behind Nigeria’s soaring tomato prices

Onome Amuge

Nigeria, the second-largest tomato producer in Africa and 12th in the world,according to the National Horticultural Research Institute, is experiencing a devastating setback in its tomato production sector.

With approximately 200,000 smallholder farmers cultivating tomatoes, the country’s staple crop has faced a sharp increase in prices, marking its highest price in decades and exacerbating the already worrisome food inflation that has been plaguing the country. This disastrous year for tomatoes has further compounded the struggles of the most populous African nation, where the soaring costs of food has fuelled food insecurity, driving more people into starvation.

Reports and market surveys have revealed that the recent outbreak of Tuta absoluta, a devastating pest that affects tomatoes, in farmlands located in Kaduna and Kano, both of which are significant producers of tomatoes, has caused a catastrophic price surge in tomatoes. This rise in prices, amounting to over 200 percent, has had a crippling effect on Nigeria’s agricultural sector, further fueling the country’s already precarious inflation crisis and causing widespread economic hardship for its citizens.

Sani Danladi, chairman of the  Tomato Out Growers Association of Nigeria (TOGAN) in Kano State,  , attributed the sharp rise in tomato prices to the recurrent infestation of Tuta Absoluta in major tomato-growing states.

Tuta absoluta, also known as tomato leaf miner, is a highly destructive pest that has made its mark in tomato cultivation worldwide. Originating in South America, the insect has spread rapidly to countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia since 2006, wreaking havoc on tomato plants and rendering the fruit unmarketable due to the damage caused.

Danladi explained further that the hot weather in February and March made farmers apprehensive about planting tomatoes, fearing losses due to the unsuitable conditions for growth during those months.

He added that the situation is such that by May, all tomatoes produced in Nigeria are depleted, leaving farmers dependent on the arrival of the rainy season to plant new crops.

According to Danladi, the country’s failure to effectively address the issue of Tuta Absoluta has caused significant losses for farmers already struggling with numerous other challenges.

The most recent report from the National Bureau of Statistics’ Food Price Watch for April 2024 revealed  a worrisome trend in the price of tomatoes in Nigeria.

According to the report, the cost of 1kg of tomatoes increased 131.58 percent when compared to the same period last year, between April 2023 and April 2024. Moreover, the month-on-month inflation between March and April 2024 also saw a significant rise, with the average cost of 1kg of tomatoes increasing by 17.06 percent.

Dayo Boko, a tomato trader, in a chat with Business a.m. noted, “I live in Abuja. I buy vegetables from Jos. The tomatoes I bought for N7,000 on the 1st of March 2024(farmers basket), sold for N45,000 as of yesterday (June 13).”

Boko also expressed his dismay over the dwindling quantity and quality of tomatoes, noting that the quantity had dropped to half the size of a regular basket due to the damage caused by pests.

Boko added that aside from the devastating impact of the pest infestation, the hike in transportation costs has also played a part in making tomatoes unaffordable for the average Nigerian.

Ismail Sadiq, a tomato seller in Lagos’ Mile 12 Market, noted that there was a significant increase in the price of fresh tomatoes between April and June 2024.

According to Sadiq, the price of a basket of fresh tomatoes, which ranged from N50,000 to N80,000 in April, had skyrocketed to between N140,000 and N160,000 by June, reflecting an increase of almost 50-80 percent in just two months.

Tomatoes, often described as a vegetable fruit due to its nutritional properties and use in culinary applications, are widely consumed and revered in Nigeria as a valuable crop that is both nutritious and versatile.

Not only does the tomato serve a vital role in meeting domestic food requirements, generating income for producers, and creating employment opportunities, but it also holds great significance in Nigerian cuisine, where it is frequently utilised as an ingredient to enhance the flavour, colour, and nutritional value of various dishes. Some notable delicacies in which tomatoes play a prominent role include, jollof rice, tomato stew (known as ‘omi obe’ in Yoruba communities), salads, amongst others.

Reacting to the tomato infestation and resultant scarcity across the nation, Abubakar Kyari,  the minister of agriculture and food security, stated that the government has deployed teams to the affected areas to tackle the threat and assist farmers in reviving their crops as soon as possible.

According to Kyari, the federal government was doing everything in its power to combat the spread of the disease as part of its initiative to control tomato prices and increase production.

“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,” he stated.

Meanwhile, a collaborative initiative, HortiNigeria, which is a Dutch-funded horticulture programme implemented in Kano and three other states in Nigeria, has disclosed that the project will assist over 60,000 tomato farmers in Kano and Kaduna states by providing them with new techniques to combat the devastating Tuta absoluta pest.

Abdullahi Umar, the group team lead for business linkage and advocacy at HortiNigeria, made the disclosure during an affected communities outreach and inspection of demo farms. Umar explained that the project is implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques such as chemical and biological pest management to help farmers combat the Tuta absoluta pest.

“We have a target of reaching out to over 60,000 farmers in Kano and Kaduna. The project has been training these farmers located in various tomato-producing areas in both project states. We have been encouraging tomato farmers never to give up on tomato production due to the pest attack because there are ways to manage the attack. Moreover, we have been linking up farmers with the market as well,” he said.

Sabastine Agada Obaje, a technical specialist from Eastwesteed Knowledge Transfer, stressed the crucial role of demonstration in the HortiNigeria project.

According to Obaje, the demonstration of effective integrated pest management techniques, including chemical and biological pest management methods, is essential for guiding farmers and showcasing the efficiency of these methods. He added that by replicating these methods on their own farms, tomato farmers in Kano and Kaduna can better manage the Tuta absoluta pest, improving crop yields and protecting their livelihoods.

Uba Bello, a tomato farmer, spoke on the persistent challenges faced by tomato growers in pre-, during-, and post-harvest periods, particularly in relation to managing the Tuta absoluta pest.

Bello expressed optimism that the new management technologies being demonstrated under the HortiNigeria project, including chemical and biological pest management techniques, would provide the necessary assistance for farmers to effectively control the pest and mitigate its devastating effects.

Roadmap to sustainable tomato production

John Babadara, the founder and team lead at Tomatrix Nigeria, a social enterprise dedicated to reducing rural poverty by implementing innovative solutions to address food losses, conducted a study titled ‘Bending the curve of tomato loss can help Nigerian farmers, reduce poverty.’

Babadara, in his research, revealed that tomatoes represent approximately 20 percent of the daily vegetable consumption in Nigeria, with an estimated annual market demand of 2.3 million metric tonnes.

The  study discovered that farmers in the country suffer losses of over 45 percent post-harvest, leading to an immense supply deficit of around 500,000 metric tonnes. Not only does this loss result in a significant economic blow to farmers, but it also represents an inefficient use of natural resources, highlighting the urgent need to address this issue to promote a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector in Nigeria.

The study identified a critical challenge facing the tomato industry in Nigeria, noting that despite efforts to increase consumption levels, the consumer markets can only absorb a limited portion of the tomato supply during peak production periods.

To resolve this problem, the study emphasised the importance of streamlining the supply chain by investing in value-addition within the local communities, specifically during the post-harvest period. This approach, the research suggested, would improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enable farmers to maximise their economic potential, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and profitable tomato industry in Nigeria.

The proposed solution, as highlighted in the research, would extend the shelf-life of fresh tomatoes, providing a multitude of benefits. Specifically, it would enhance the livelihoods of rural farmers by improving the economic viability of tomato cultivation.