Tomato scarcity caused by disease, harvest losses, off-season—Erisco

Erisco Foods Limited has debunked rumours making the rounds that two or three paste makers have bought all the fresh tomatoes in the market, thereby depriving Nigerians from buying the commodities in the market.

Eric Umeofia, CEO of Erisco Foods, said in a statement that relevant ministries had long refused to support local farmers to change to high-yield and heat-resistant tomato seed variety, adding that one main reason for tomato scarcity was a disease called ‘Tuta absoluta’, which killed most of the fresh tomatoes in the farm while they were yet to mature.

Umeofia said this time of the year was normally off- season for fresh tomato harvest as in other crops in Nigeria, adding that Nigerian tomato framers lost over 75 percent of the fresh tomatoes harvested last farming season, a situation that had contributed to the scarcity.

“That alone has discouraged many of tomato farmers to continue to farm this year with much expectation,” he said.

He said for about four years running, Erisco Foods had been telling all the relevant ministries and banking institutions the importance of supporting the industry to import high-yield and heat-resistant tomato seeds to expand tomato paste production and avoid the temporary fresh tomato scarcity in Nigeria, but all had fallen on deaf ears.

He urged the Federal Government to place an immediate plan on substandard/fake tomato pastes and other food items to create more jobs for farmers and Nigerians, while also avoiding pushing local manufacturers into joining the cabals that import substandard and fake products.

He stressed that what was happening now in fresh tomato would trigger high demand and push many people to farm tomatoes, adding that Erisco Foods Limited and other farmers needed more support to bring this type of situation under control before the next planting season, which was at hand.