The outbreak of Tuta Absoluta, commonly known as the tomato leaf miner or “Tomato Ebola,” has caused a loss of more than N1.3 billion in three states, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari has disclosed.
He made this disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja at a four-day capacity-building workshop for financial institutions.
The workshop was organised by HortiNigeria in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) Plc.
Kyari said the outbreak had consequently led to the surge of 50 kilogramme basket of tomato from N5,000 to N10,000 and approximately N30, 000 thereby exacerbating food inflation and straining household budgets.
According to him, the states where the loose were recorded include Kano, Katsina and Kaduna.
He explained that tomato ebola had underscored the fragility of the country’s horticultural systems adding that the invasive pest could decimate tomato crops within 48 hours, leading to catastrophic yield losses.
According to him, this crisis highlights the urgent need for integrated pest management strategies, investment in resilient crop varieties and enhanced support for farmers to safeguard the country’s food supply chains.
“Tomatoes and peppers essential ingredients in virtually every Nigerian kitchen, serve as baseline commodities for daily cooking.
“When the prices of these staples spike, they set off a chain reaction that affects the cost of meals across homes, restaurants and food vendors.
“According to the 2024 National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) tomatoes led the food price index with a staggering 320 per cent year-on-year increase, followed by peppers and other produce.
“These spikes disproportionately affect low-income households, underlining the urgent need for more stable production, better storage and accessible finance across the horticulture value chain,” he said.
The minister said horticulture, often described as the “sleeping giant” of Nigerian agriculture, held immense promise that the country must awaken.
According to him, in doing that we must ensure access to sustainable and well-structured financing.
Kyari who identified horticulture as the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, and ornamentals, described it as far more than a sub-sector of agriculture.
According to him, It is a dynamic engine for rural transformation, job creation, improved nutrition and trade diversification.
