The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security has attributed the surge in tomato product prices across Nigeria to an infestation affecting tomato farms known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner. This revelation was made via his official X account on Monday.
Kyari’s statement comes in response to the notable increase in tomato prices in Nigeria. Reports indicate that the average price of one kilogram of tomato has surged by 131.58 percent annually, reaching N1,123.41 in April 2024 from N485.10 in April 2023.
The Minister highlighted that the infestation in tomato farms has led to decreased product availability, consequently resulting in price escalations.
“Many 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”, he wrote.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s food inflation surged to a record high in April.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food and headline inflation increased to 33.69 percent and 40.53 percent in April 2024, respectively.
