Tomato growers have expressed concern over the recent Tuta Absoluta virus infestation of their crops, which is affecting the price of the produce in various markets across the country.
They expressed their concerns in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.
Tuta Absoluta, also known as the Tomato Leaf miner, is a serious pest of tomato crops in Europe, Africa, western Asia, and South and Central America. Its larvae can cause up to 100% loss if not effectively controlled.
Tuta Absoluta can ravage tomato cultivation in just over 48 hours, prompting farmers to nickname it Tomato Ebola.
It can breed between 10 and 12 generations in a year, and the female can lay about 250 to 300 eggs within its lifetime.
The Chairman of the Tomato Growers and Processors Association of Nigeria, Mr Rabiu Zuntu, said the recent outbreak of the virus had affected the price of produce in the local markets.
The invasion of the Tuta Absoluta virus, which began in early March, has ravaged some farms up North.
“The virus does not affect the tomatoes much during the wet season except during the hot season. The temperature has been unusually high in recent times, and it causes humidity in the soil.
“The virus has affected supplies to markets across the country, that is why you will notice some changes in the price of tomatoes. The virus has destroyed some tomato farms despite being in the harvest season.
“Now, here in the North, in the market, a 50kg basket of tomato sells for about N30,000 due to the infestation.
“Before the outbreak, a basket of tomatoes was sold between N5,000 and N10,000 because this is the season for tomato harvests,” Zuntu said.
In preventing the spread of the virus, he also noted, “Humidity in the soil poses a more probable cause for the rapid spread of the flu in tomato farms infected.
“The outbreak of Tuta absoluta virus cannot be prevented because no one can stop humidity from taking place. However, we can take some preventive measures to curtail its spread.
“Even when we plant climate-resistant or disease-resistant seeds, they are still susceptible to the Tuta Absoluta virus infestation.
“What we can do to curtail it from spreading is to apply the Integrated Pest Management approach,” he said.
For his part, the National President of the Tomatoes and Orchard Processors Association of Nigeria (TOPAN), Mr Bola Oyeleke, said the outbreak had a minimal effect on tomato prices because the crop is already in its harvest stage.
“Tomato harvest is ongoing around the country, so the impact of the Tuta Absoluta virus is not as deadly as it was during the off-season.
“We can still see tomatoes coming to the market daily, but if the infestation is on, it is probably affecting newly planted crops.
“The Tuta Absoluta virus is one of the major problems plaguing tomato cultivation in Nigeria,” Oyeleke said.
However, he noted that to prevent the virus outbreak continually, local farmers must work together.
“The only solution is to start introducing more technology for land preparation for our farmers to forestall these frequent outbreaks.
“The land preparation for small-scale farmers should be a general thing. They should start land preparation together if it is in a local government area.
“Embarking on land preparation together will help prevent pests on their farms,” he said.
