The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari has adduced reasons for the continued rising of prices of Tomatoes across the country.
Kyari blamed the rising cost of tomato products across Nigeria on an infestation of tomato farms known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.
This was contained in a statement on his official X Account released on Monday.
The Minister was was reacting to the astronomical rise in the prices of tomatoes across the country.
DAILY POST reports that the average price of one kilogram of tomato rose by 131.58 per cent yearly to N1,123.41 in April 2024. This is an increase from N485.10 in April 2023.
According to the Minister, the infestation in tomato farms has reduced product availability and spiked price hikes.
“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,” he said.
The Minister, however, assured that the Ministry of Agriculture was doing everything to address the challenge.
He said, “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 we are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore the supply of affordable tomatoes”, Kyari wrote.
IVNTV NEWS reports that the cost of tomatoes have forced many families to look for alternatives for making their food.
Recall that Nigeria’s food inflation surged to a record high in April.
According to Data from the National Bureau of Statistics, food and headline inflation increased to 33.69 per cent and 40.53 per cent in April 2024, respectively.
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