‘Tomato Ebola’ reason for scarcity, high cost of tomatoes in Nigeria —Minister

A severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola is the reason why the cost of tomatoes has been high in parts of Nigeria, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari.

Recently, there has been hike in price of tomatoes and pepper across Nigeria, with many raising the issue on social media, and wondering what could have gone wrong.

Retail traders of the items have repeatedly complained of availability at the wholesale level, and the final consumers have had to pay through their noses.

But in a post on his X this week, the minister said the federal government had taken measures to combat the issue.

He said: “A significant number 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. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.”

Tomatoes are used to make a lot of foods in Nigeria, ranging for jollof rice to sauces. The continuous unavailability of the fruit/vegetable has dealt a huge blow on the average Nigerian, who have resorted to imported tomato paste for meals.