Reason Why Tomatoes Are Very Expensive: 80% of Kaduna Tomatoes Ravaged By Disease

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai on Monday revealed that 80 percent of the tomato produced in the state had been ravaged by pests and diseases, leading to serious scarcity. Specifically, the governor declared a state of emergency in tomato production in the state, saying all hands must be on deck to combat various pests and diseases ravaging tomato. A species of moth attacks the leaves of tomato to cause a disease condition called ‘Tuta Absoluta’. The larva produced by the moth feed voraciously upon tomato plants, causing a yield loss of 100%. El-Rufai said tomato had been destroyed in three local government of the state with a loss of N1bn monthly. The governor spoke through his Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Manzo Maigari. He said some officials of the state ministry of agriculture had been sent to Kenya in order to learn how to combat the menace, adding that over 200 farmers had lost tomato produce to pests and diseases. “I want to say that Governor Nasir el-Rufai has declared a state of emergency in tomato production in the state. This is as a result of the invasion of the crop by a pest botanically known as ‘Tuta Absoluta’. “It is so severe that even Dangote, who has established a tomato processing plant in Kano, had to shut down production [temporarily]," he added.