From N150k to N60k — basket of tomatoes price drops amid new harvest

The price of a basket of tomatoes has dropped amid new harvests, traders in Ketu and Berger markets told TheCable.

A trader at Ketu market said a big basket of tomatoes is currently selling for about N55,000 to N60,000 — down from an average of N150,000 a few months ago.

Additionally, a crate of tomatoes that previously cost N55,000 is now being sold for N30,000.

He said a large basket of habanero pepper (rodo) is now selling for an average of N25,000, compared to N55,000 at the peak of the price surge.

“It is the season. Hausa tomatoes and peppers are already coming out,” the trader said, providing reasons for the decline.

Another trader in Ketu market said a small basket of tomatoes now costs between N20,000 and N25,000, lower than the previous price range of N30,000 to N34,000.

She also said a small sack of pepper is currently selling for about N15,000 to N20,000. This previously cost N50,000.

Traders at Berger market told the reporter that a big basket of tomatoes has dropped from between N150,000 and N200,000 to about N50,000-N60,000; adding that a crate of the commodity has decreased from N35,000 to N15,000.

In the same market, the largest sack of habanero pepper now sells for N19,500 — down from between N200,000 and N230,000, the traders said.

They said the price of a medium sack fell from N130,000 to N17,500.

A trader said a big bowl (called rubber) of cayenne pepper (bawa) now costs between N8,000 and N9,000, significantly lower than the previous price of N28,000.

“It is because of the season and then, petrol. There is petrol to transport tomatoes,” the trader said, regarding the drivers of the price reductions.

A trader identified as Muhammed in Dutse market, Abuja, said a basket of tomatoes now sells for N8,000, a reduction from the previous price of N13,000/N15,000.

He added consumers can now buy red bell pepper (tatashe) for N7,500 against the previous price of N12,000; stating that the price of habanero pepper has decreased to N9,000 from between N13,000 and N15,000.

Muhammed said cayenne pepper is now for N8,000 — compared to the earlier price of N12,000 — in Dutse market.

Like traders in Lagos, Muhammed attributed the price drop to the seasonal availability of the items.

“Sometimes the price goes up and sometimes it comes down. We sell based on how we buy,” the trader said.

“If you come tomorrow, the price might go up or down. It changes unexpectedly.”

On his part, Musa, another trader, said there is now enough supply in the market unlike before when there was a scarcity.

Tomato prices have seen a significant increase across Nigerian markets in recent months.

On May 30, the Tomatoes Growers Association of Nigeria had blamed the hike in prices on the destruction of tomatoes in northern farms by ‘Tuta absoluta’.

Tuta absoluta, also known as tomato leaf miner, is a moth species in the Gelechiidae pest family.

The pest, according to a research publication, attacks tomatoes in Europe, Africa, Western Asia and South and Central America, with its larvae causing up to 100 percent losses — if not effectively controlled.

Rabiu Zuntu, the association’s Kaduna state chairman, said the pests’ attack led to a shortage in supply.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had said the prices of tomatoes, garri, and other food items increased by 55 percent in June.

Speaking with TheCable, Sani Danladi, the national chairman of the Association of Tomato Growers, Processors, and Marketers of Nigeria, said prices have started to drop as the new harvest has begun.

“The current price for a big basket of tomatoes is somewhere around N25,000-N30,000. Before, it was about N80,000-N90,000. It has reduced by 60 percent,” Danladi said.

“The reason why the prices dropped is because of the new harvest, new production. The wet season production has started coming out.”

Danladi added that prices are expected to stabilise from now until the end of August and continue into October and November, making tomatoes more affordable.