The value of tomatoes in Lagos and different components of Nigeria has considerably dropped on account of a glut brought on by the continuing harvest season.
Farmers and merchants have attributed the worth crash to the excess provide, which happens yearly between January and March.
A tomato glut refers to a state of affairs the place an extra harvest of tomatoes results in a worth drop.
Based on reviews by the Information Company of Nigeria, the worth of a 50kg basket of tomatoes now sells for as little as N10,000 to N12,000, relying on the species. Within the northern a part of the nation, a 25kg plastic crate is priced between N6,000 and N7,000.
In Lagos, the worth of an enormous basket of tomatoes has fallen to N13,000–N15,000, in comparison with the N140,000–N150,000 worth vary recorded in Might 2024. This represents a lower of roughly 90% over an eight-month interval.
The Chairman of the Tomato Growers and Processors Affiliation of Nigeria (Kaduna State Chapter), Mr. Rabiu Zuntu, mentioned the glut is a results of the January-to-March harvest interval, throughout which tomato vegetation produce an abundance of fruits. This surplus typically results in lowered costs and vital post-harvest losses.
“One of many issues we face within the tomato sector is that the interval from January, February, and March is that of tomato glut,” Zuntu defined.
He added that roughly 50% of harvested tomatoes are misplaced throughout this era on account of insufficient storage services and restricted processing capabilities.
“Presently, we solely have just a few functioning tomato processing services to assist scale back the post-harvest losses we witness yearly,” he mentioned.
Zuntu urged shoppers to make the most of the low costs to fill up and protect tomatoes for future use.
“We normally advise shoppers this era to protect as a lot tomatoes as they’ll to cushion the impact when the produce will get costly later within the 12 months,” he mentioned.
“Nevertheless, these preservation strategies could not be capable to work for large-scale preservation and storage of the produce,” Zuntu cautioned.
Merchants in Lagos additionally acknowledged the numerous worth drop. Mrs. Queen Oloyede, a dealer at Surulere, famous {that a} 50kg basket of tomatoes now sells for N15,000–N20,000 on the Mile 12 market.
“Since per week in the past, a basket of 50kg tomatoes sells on the Mile 12 marketplace for between N15,000 and N20,000. I counsel clients to start to fill up for the time the produce might be scarce available in the market,” Oloyede mentioned.
Nevertheless, Mrs. Judith Amen identified that the very best high quality tomatoes nonetheless come at a premium worth. “Presently, the very best high quality of tomatoes on the Mile 12 market sells between N35,000 and N37,000 for a 50kg basket. Folks ought to protect the amount they’ll purchase,” she suggested.
Some shoppers expressed considerations about their capability to protect tomatoes successfully. Mrs. Catherine Eigbedion, a resident of Agege, attributed her restricted preservation efforts to an inconsistent electrical energy provide.
“With tomatoes in surplus this era and at a positive worth, it’s advisable to purchase in bulk and inventory for the scarce days. Not everybody is aware of the native preservation strategies because of the inconsistent electrical energy state of affairs. I simply purchase sufficient to final me for per week,” Eigbedion mentioned.
Equally, Mrs. Ebere Dudu from Dopemu emphasised the unpredictability of tomato costs. “We’re glad that there are sufficient contemporary tomatoes available in the market and they’re very inexpensive. As a result of we can not predict the worth of tomatoes within the coming months, I purchase as a lot as I can and protect for the wet days,” she defined.
