REASON FOR SCARCITY OF TOMATOES- MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE
The Federal Government of Nigeria revealed that a certain pest known as Tuta absoluta has been responsible for the massive destruction of tomatoes on farmlands which has hit a total of six states in Nigeria.
Declaring the scourge and the economic implications of the pest, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Audu Ogbeh said: “The pest can also attack even pepper and Irish potato. So we are confronting something quite serious. But the good thing is that we are tackling it right now as experts will commence work immediately. We are bringing the commissioners and governors of states to jointly attack this pest, which, if not dealt with, will create serious problems for food security in our country.”
Mr Audu Ogbe during his press statement also made known and discarded speculations that the establishment of tomato processing plants had mopped up the tomato fruits thereby causing its scarcity.
He reveled that one of the major demerit of the pest was its high reproductive rate which enables it grow a large population in a short period and cause more damage to the tomato fruits on the farmland. The affected states are Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau and Lagos.
Ogbeh also said that ,"Federal government has been in talks with experts on how best to tackle the development adding that the experts had proffered some possible solution and offered some varieties of resistant tomatoes which will grow well in the western region of the country as an alternative measure."
Comments