Households, restaurants resorting to tomato pastes as basket of tomato costs N70,000 in South

Many households and restaurants across the country are now resorting to tomato pastes and other available alternatives for their cooking as the price of fresh tomatoes has gone beyond the reach of many Nigerians.

A market survey conducted in major cities across the country by Daily Trust reports showed that the price of the commodity has risen from less than N20,000 for a big basket in the last few weeks to around N70,000, depending on the market and location.

Reports showed that in states where tomatoes are cultivated, including Kano, Katsina and Benue states, the price of the commodity has risen from N17,000–N20,000 a basket to N40,000-N45,000.

On the other hand, in Abuja, Kwara, Oyo, Rivers, Lagos and Enugu states, the price has risen to as high as N70,000, pushing many households and restaurants to the edge. The size of the baskets is about the same across most of the markets.

While farmers are attributing the surge to high production costs, pest attacks and off-season scarcity, agricultural experts are instead calling for extensive research that will lead to the availability of water-resistant seeds to enable farmers to plant all year round, including during the rainy season.

For many households, the current price of tomatoes is beyond their reach, while for restaurants, it is eating into their profits. They said they are now forced to resort to tomato paste, which price is also going up.

The owner of an Abuja-based restaurant, Mrs Azzez Kikelomo, said the hike in the price of tomatoes has led to an increase in the price of food per plate at the restaurant.

She said a basket of tomatoes, which she used to buy for N17,000 or N18,000 a few weeks ago at Dei-dei market, has now gone up to N48,000 and costs even more at the Karmo Tuesday market as well as Bwari market.

“I’m even confused now because how much tomato paste can I use in my restaurant? We just have to buy tomatoes, no matter the price. And if the produce is too costly, you know the implication; we are going to transfer the cost to the customers, who will now pay more per plate. We also reduce the amount of soup we give to customers,’’ she said.

A report from Kwara State also showed how farmers and residents are lamenting the rise in the price of tomatoes since last week.

Farmers and marketers in the state also attributed the current price hike to pest attacks on tomato farms, the cost of production, and transportation.

It was observed that a big basket of the produce, which was sold for about N20,000 a few months ago, is now sold for between N57,000 and N58,000.

While some residents have since devised other means to cushion the effect on households and families, others are calling on the government to put in place programmes and policies that will reduce the cost of production.

Mrs Lateeah Abdullahi said in response to the situation, various methods have been adopted.

“Some of us now dry the tomatoes when they’re surplus and soak them in water before using them during scarcity. Sometimes, we cook it after grinding it until it becomes a thick paste which we then pour into bottles.

“This process can survive without electricity for a considerable length of time. The only thing is that it loses its fresh taste. We also switch to canned tomatoes as a buffer.

“With this, I can use around N200-N300 to prepare a meal for a family of five, like mine, instead of N500 or more for normal tomatoes, which we even still had to manage,” he noted.

Mama Aisha, who has been in the tomato business for decades, attributed the high cost to pest attacks in farms “around Kano and Dutse, where we get the ‘arewa’ supply from.

“What we learnt was that the present situation is due to pest attacks on the tomato farms in these communities.

“Ordinarily, the commodity becomes expensive due to the non-availability of the Arewa supply, and we fill the gap with Yoruba produce from Odooba in Ogbomoso and Asa until September, when we begin to get supply from the North.

“Now, instead of 10 trucks of tomatoes, what you have are a few minibuses of the produce. You sell according to what you buy.

“Since this week, the price of a basket of tomatoes has hovered around N47,000 to N65,000, depending on the quality and sizes.

“Four years ago, we bought a basket for N75,000 due to the same issue of pest attacks. But we just hope it will come down now,” she noted.

A farmer and Kwara State chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Umar Mahmud Aboki, said, “Increase in the price of production has affected the price of tomatoes.

“The high cost of production and inflation are major factors as prices of farm chemicals and fertilisers have tripled.

“Before, on our farms, we employed labourers and bought motorcycles for them for around N280,000. Now that has gone up to N500,000,” Aboki said.