The present situation of Nigeria’s food situation poses worrisome threats to its citizens. The minimum wage has become too minimum to afford the reducing food stock available to the populace. What is more perturbing is the continuous increase in price of locally grown foods. Farmers as well as consumers go to the marketplace but return with looks of despair. The case has become quite alarming and ignites the question, what is the cause of this food crisis especially with locally grown crops?
Wholesalers and retailers of foods complain of continuous increase in price of produce. This they attributed to high transportation costs. The current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier announced the total removal of fuel subsidy which led to increase in fuel price across the country. The increased fuel prices affected transportation costs which poured over into food prices. The establishment and running of the Dangote refinery relived the price of diesel, yet the prices of foods continued to increase daily.
Recently, the price of tomato rose to an all-time high as consumers could not purchase the now proverbial golden chick. A statement by the minister of Agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari stated that an infestation was the cause of the scarcity of tomato produce. Nigerians were forced to turn to carrot and cucumber as an alternative to preparing stew and other meals that required the use of tomatoes. These other vegetables however became affected by the plague of “high price”.
During the recent Sallah celebration, consumers decried the expensive cost of food stuff in the market and in some cases absence of it. Pepper popularly called atarudu was at an all-time high selling for almost ten thousand naira for a small basket measurement. Oranges were sold for 150 for one piece and Garri was sold at a thousand naira for a measurement.
Before the Sallah celebration, a post was made on X by Unadulterated Delta where he complained that there were no produce to move from Jos to other states. According to him:
“There’s actually no tomatoes and pepper to move today from Pankshin LGA, Plateau State. All J5 busses are parked, no farm produce available and salah is around the corner.”
He also complained that bad roads led to most farm produce getting bad before reaching the market.
He continued: “For clarity, J5 busses are what takes tomatoes and pepper to cities like PH, Lagos and Aba. This is because of the bad roads and so big lorries don’t make it in time before products go bad.
“Products start coming in from say 12 midnight, but right now 90% of J5 buses are packed.”
According to an interview conducted by Premium Times, the chairman of Tomato Out Growers Association of Nigeria (TOGAN) Mr Sani Danladi revealed that Tuta absoluta, one of the most devastating pests affecting tomato crops is the main cause of the shortage of tomatoes across the country.
Tuta absoluta is a specie of moth in the family of Gelechiidae which is also known as tomato leaf miner or “Tomato Ebola”. It is well known as a serious pest of the tomato crop and it reappeared in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Jigawa states in February.
Tomato ebola was first detected in Nigeria in 2015 in Daura, katsina state. This was after its outbreak in Spain in 2006. Since 2016, it has continuously affected tomato crops in Nigeria including Potatoes and eggplant.
Mr Danladi said “The primary cause of the high prices of tomatoes in the market is the tomato Ebola. The tomato Ebola started in February but because there are highly large production areas, it didn’t affect almost all the areas, but from April up till this period that is when all the tomatoes have finished.
“So, its only the riverine areas where they have so much plantation there that is why farmers are able to harvest some tomatoes from their farms. But now, almost all the tomatoes you are seeing are coming from Pankshin, Plateau and Ikara, Kaduna state. These are the main places you can get tomatoes now. That is why it is costly” he said.
The increased price of tomatoes has been attributed to the tomato eater now present in farms. But what about other crops that are resistant to the tomato Ebola? Why is the price of beans on the high?
In some correspondence with farmers in Zaria, they complained of lack of rainfall to irrigate crops, high cost of transporting crops to other locations due to fuel prices and bad road conditions, and taxes placed on food commodities. These taxes are collected on the road by persons claiming to work for the government. The farmers complained that they must add the taxes they pay during food transportation to the cost of the crops or else they would incur losses.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Dry Season Farming Initiative and the Green Imperative Programme to promote year-round farming and provide farmers with access to modern equipment and low interest loans. This is part of his renewed hope agenda for Nigerians. A $134 million loan facility advanced to Nigeria by the African Development Bank (AfDB) was assessed to aid this development. However, we are yet to hear of tangible information as to how the ministry of agriculture and food security will address this food insecurity.
Food is an important part of man’s life. It becomes critical when one lacks the purchasing power to access food. In worse scenarios, one has the purchasing power but the food items are scarce and shortage. The fight for an increased minimum wage is for the common man to have access to important commodities such as food. The food situation in Nigeria continues to be pitiable as the standard of living deteriorate if measures are not put in place and stakeholders do not become involved and active.
