…It’s worsening food crisis –FG
Nigerian farmers have lost more than N1.3 billion due to the recent outbreak of Tuta absoluta, the devastating tomato leaf miner pest widely dubbed “Tomato Ebola,” in three major tomato-producing states, the federal government has revealed.
Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a four-day capacity-building workshop for financial institutions.
The event was organised by HortiNigeria in partnership with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) Plc.
Kyari said the pest outbreak had severely impacted tomato production in Kano, Katsina and Kaduna, causing a dramatic rise in the price of a 50kg basket of tomatoes from N5,000 to N10,000, and in some cases, up to N30,000.
“The outbreak of tomato Ebola highlights the fragility of Nigeria’s horticultural systems.
“This invasive pest can decimate tomato fields within 48 hours, leading to catastrophic yield losses”, he said.
Kyari emphasised that the infestation has worsened the already troubling food inflation, putting immense pressure on household budgets and deepening the cost-of-living crisis.
According to him, “Tomatoes and pepper, 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.”
Quoting recent figures from the 2024 National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Kyari said, “Tomatoes led the food price index with a staggering 320 per cent year-on-year increase, followed by peppers and other produce.”
He called for urgent integrated pest management strategies, investment in resilient crop varieties, and enhanced support systems for farmers to protect food supply chains and curb further damage.
Kyari also described Nigeria’s horticulture sector as a “sleeping giant” with untapped potential that must be awakened to drive rural development, create jobs, enhance nutrition, and boost trade diversification.
“Horticulture is far more than a sub-sector of agriculture, it is a dynamic engine for rural transformation. With increasing urbanisation and rising demand for fresh produce, the sector is well-positioned to meet growing consumer needs,” he said.
He further explained that horticulture, which includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, and ornamentals, offers higher value per hectare than staple crops. It also supports multiple harvests per year, making it especially viable for smallholder farmers.
“Horticulture has a high capacity for labour absorption, creating year-round employment opportunities—particularly for women and youth—while also maintaining strong linkages with processing, packaging, retail, and export markets,” Kyari added.
He stressed that the sector can promote climate resilience through modern cultivation and irrigation systems and can improve urban food access through peri-urban farming and efficient logistics.
“Crops like tomatoes, pineapples, cucumbers, citrus, and plantains have enormous domestic demand and are increasingly becoming key commercial crops,” he noted.
The minister called on stakeholders, especially financial institutions, to channel sustainable, structured financing into the horticultural sector to unlock its transformative potential and build long-term food security for the nation.