@Chukzyfcb when there is famine,war or extreme situation you will know people can break concrete floors remove tiles and the rest to grow food.

Okay.

My question is very straightforward. Please answer


Why is it that around this time every year we experience scarcity? Please focus on 'around this time every year' .

Harvesthomes:
@D2diff i'm a Biotechnologist/Geneticist Food Biotechnology is my field as well as Agriculture in the broadstream Now Let me break it down,you can wikipedia this info Nigeria is among the top 3 largest producer of crops like groundnut in the world....But why Groundnut and not tomato..answer...money...which is why i gave solution give grants for certain crops to be planted..why the tomato farmer goes through stress before he even gets tomato and runs high risk of spoilage The soyabeans Maize Groundnut farmer can plant extract oil and first sell as Vegetable oil..sine the oil is removed the remnant isn't prone to quick spoilage and is still sold as feed for animals..so double money...less monitoring..i still spoke with the guy to help me manage a 10 acres i'm planning on and we both agreed on this..He chose to monitor for me crops that needs less supervision because the more the supervision the more i had to pay if i was paying 50,000 per acre for just supervision and a crop like tomato needs morre supervision he charges me 75,000 per acre...now times this figure to like ordinary 10 acres and see the difference,i did my research on India Government had to intervene and do this through aggregate distribution and it works.South Korea adopted this model for Rice and used for other crops.It's just copy and paste..but can one copy and paste unless he first of all reads....READING is the problem.people don't read..

If we can consume SouthAfrican apples why should preserving Tomato be a problem.I was reading even Unilag has several Masters' and Doctorate levels research in this fields.It's hanging in the shelves,when university get research grants they say they return the money in form of excess even the used one who knows what happens to it.Journals are for name bragging and not the intended use..undergraduate studies 4 years which is in extension from nursery to University over 20years yet with 20years of academia exposure can't write a sound project independently..it's time to wail for the quality of students been produced..

You still dont understand my point.Tomato is economically and less attractive for serious farmers...why do you have an over-abundance of yam compared with tomato answer me ? You think the Northern people don't calculate income before they start cultivating or that they cultivate to help the nation...lol make i laff,by the way if your thesis is accurate which i find fault in dry season is better for planting than wet season if the irrigation system is in place which is another topic i drew an irrigation system for a 10 acres farm and the money for irrigation alone mopped out 5years of profit,i'm working on how to cheapen this...so as i was saying dry season many pathogens are ineffective which if irrigation had been in place would have fantastic for farming..i think PERMACULTURE is the recommendation in this sense

Vast of us should go back to farming on a large scale

Harvesthomes:
@Chukzyfcb when there is famine,war or extreme situation you will know people can break concrete floors remove tiles and the rest to grow food.

Lack of tomato cannot cause famine bro. People will always Import tomato paste, some will resolve to banga soup/ofe-akwu (soup made from palm oil)

Whether tomato is less attractive or not is not the issue.

The issue is why is that this time every year, tomato is always scarce and expensive? If it is less attractive, why is that we often have abundance and cheaper tomatoes earlier and later in the year? Earlier this year, around Feb I think, I know of a basket the small ONE THAT WAS BOUGHT FOR N300. During this period, a paint plastic usually goes for N4500 but now it is about N7000 due to the economy. Therefore can you explain why it is so? ...........this is what I asked earlier.



I would have addressed the other part of your argument but i do not understand it. Can you please rephrase and edit it?




On yam, there is a period when it is very expensive, bitter and scarce so what exactly is your argument.

Harvesthomes:
You still dont understand my point.Tomato is economically and less attractive for serious farmers...why do you have an over-abundance of yam compared with tomato answer me ? You think the Northern people don't calculate income before they start cultivating or that they cultivate to help the nation...lol make i laff,by the way if your thesis is accurate which i find fault in dry season is better for planting than wet season if the irrigation system is in place which is another topic i drew an irrigation system for a 10 acres farm and the money for irrigation alone mopped out 5years of profit,i'm working on how to cheapen this...so as i was saying dry season many pathogens are ineffective which if irrigation had been in place would have fantastic for farming..i think PERMACULTURE is the recommendation in this sense

someone else wil explain it to yu.
economically Where Nigeria was February is Nigeria there now ?

Ademat7:
innovation they say is the mother of invention,two topics have grace the FP we all share problems but solution hence I wish we could hv a shift of paradigm, without much ado let's get to Biz
1. leaders of pepper and tomato sellers association be summoned by national assembly
2. is north the only source of this product? if No let our land borders b open;Togo,Benin, et al will cushion the scarcity effect
3.let our security men stop collecting "kickback" from market women

more ideas are welcome...

Tomatoes now na national issue... nigeria is a joke!!!

Ghana Benin even further has been supplying us tomato since over 2years now..Proof ( The different shapes of tomato represents the different species different farmers grow )

Dear poster, I like your post in regards to tomato scarcity in the country. So many people are wondering why the scarcity at this time? The reasons are not far fetched. They are
1. There is tomato blight (disease) in the north which has virtually affected and destroyed all the tomato farms in the north. The only few not affected are not enough to satisfy to people thus making the price to go up.
2. The marketers of the product have resorted to going to neighbouring countries like Cameroon to source for it and spend a lot before they get it plus the coat of transportation thus making the price to go up also.
3.There are still few tomato farms not affected in Jos but are not that enough for the large populace.

Nigerians should switch over to Banga(Banga Rice and Stew comes to mind) instead of wasting more money in tomatoes. Come to think of it.... Banga plays two roles in the Food. u won't be adding oil again and will give u almost same colour tomato will give too. so what's the CHANTS for.... as for me, I don switch since ooo :DNigerians should switch over to Banga(Banga Rice and Stew comes to mind) instead of wasting more money in tomatoes. Come to think of it.... Banga plays two roles in the Food. u won't be adding oil again and will give u almost same colour tomato will give too. so what's the CHANTS for.... as for me, I don switch since ooo!!! my suggestion thou.

Nigerians should switch over to Banga(Banga Rice and Stew comes to mind) instead of wasting more money in tomatoes. Come to think of it.... Banga plays two roles in the Food. u won't be adding oil again and will give u almost same colour tomato will give too. so what's the CHANTS for.... as for me, I don switch since ooo : My suggestion thou...

@Sajio tell us what Nigeria has ever been able to do right.Do we produce enough Banga...You will be shocked to find out we don't...lol Just because u ate banga and rice once or twice doesn't mean we produce in the scale for the nation...

By the way Banga and rice goes like Moi Moi with Chicken in it

The more reason why we need GM crops. Where's Syngenta and BayerCropScience when you need them? Our tomatoes nay crops need to be genetically modified.

@Gerrard59 do we need Bio tech seeds before we have maximized functioning normal agric principles ?
Please away with the GM palaver even Russia self doesn't believe in it,many European countries are yet to fully integrate GM foods for safe human consumption...do your research sir ! Don't we see lands laying everywhere not been used.I've visited 57 Nigerian different communities i came from one recently.over 50 hectares rather than farm,they are carrying masquerades morning till nite serving idols looking malnourished with high prices even in a rural community,if they dont embrace normal agriculture should they now do scientific food production whats the essence ?

TomLepskie:
I think it's about time youths venture into agriculture, if you ask me i think so many things are being taken for granted in this country, if dangote is buying a large number of the tomatoes produced in the north, what stops the south east and the South West from cultivating tomatoes, yams, cattle ranch, goat rearing etc. If South Africa can preserve their apple, export it and make billions of dollars out of it, can't we preserve our own mango, cashew, orange etc for even local consumption, the basics is wrong, people go to school so that they can get the white collar jobs and defraud companies, ,

The environment isn't conducive. Please don't blame Nigerian graduates or students. When Nigeria follows the footsteps of nations like the Netherlands or even Kenya, then Nigerian graduates will venture into agribusiness.

Land accessibility
Loans at low interest (agribusiness isn't a quick earner, it takes time)
Electricity
Infrastructure, security.

I'd love to invest into agriculture in the future(dairy farming, vegetables), but if the environment isn't conducive and encouraging I'll put it off. It's business and not a humanitarian service.

As tomatoes scarce
Na to port
To Ofe-akwu stew

Nikapetrelli:
As tomatoes scarce Na to port To Ofe-akwu stew

ofe-akwu is the best na

People should practice home garden - keep some animals and use their wastes to keep the portion of land meant for cropping fertile. They must make provision for irrigation and plant pepper and tomatoes to target the the times of scarcity. Most importantly leave enough space for home garden and stop sealing available spaces with concrete.

Pavore9:
Personally l see no need in them being summoned by the national assembly for a talk show rather their capacity on post-harvest preservation should be worked on. We need not import from neighbouring countries because we can easily be self-sufficient.

Their is a huge disconnect between the harvest in farms and our dining tables. For those who have worked the land in the rural areas can attest to wastages that is the lot of most rural farmers. There are crops some farmers don't even bother to harvest because the pricing in their local markets is not motivating enough.

Many village markets l have visited always do have heaps of unsold farm produce being left to rot away, that is why goats roaming there are always looking fresh. Whereas a simple innovation that does not require electricity can extend the life of those produce for an extra week or two.

Why can we not have mangoes all year round when the imported apples are always available? Apples that have been harvested months before it finally arrives Nigeria.

Knowledge is lacking!

Those measures are good enough but for now we need immediate solution to tomato scarcity which to me is to open our borders for duty and tax free tomato to come in....

Harvesthomes:
@Sajio tell us what Nigeria has ever been able to do right.Do we produce enough Banga...You will be shocked to find out we don't...lol Just because u ate banga and rice once or twice doesn't mean we produce in the scale for the nation...

.... U can do well and portray a solution.. I just gave 1alternative.

Nice ideas but the second suggestion is not an advise to consider, rathe production of goods shld b boosted in other regions of the country..

Ademat7:
innovation they say is the mother of invention,two topics have grace the FP we all share problems but solution hence I wish we could hv a shift of paradigm, without much ado let's get to Biz
1. leaders of pepper and tomato sellers association be summoned by national assembly
2. is north the only source of this product? if No let our land borders b open;Togo,Benin, et al will cushion the scarcity effect
3.let our security men stop collecting "kickback" from market women

more ideas are welcome...

Harvesthomes:
@Gerrard59 do we need Bio tech seeds before we have maximized functioning normal agric principles ?
Please away with the GM palaver even Russia self doesn't believe in it,many European countries are yet to fully integrate GM foods for safe human consumption...do your research sir ! Don't we see lands laying everywhere not been used.I've visited 57 Nigerian different communities i came from one recently.over 50 hectares rather than farm,they are carrying masquerades morning till nite serving idols looking malnourished with high prices even in a rural community,if they dont embrace normal agriculture should they now do scientific food production whats the essence ?

While I agree with you concerning the ethical issues about GM crops/foods, I must say that enough research has been conducted on the safety of GM crops. The issue on ground(tomato) is a viral problem. Tell me, what's wrong in creating a tomato specie that's resistant to the virus or viruses? The US, Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands, India, China and even Burkina Faso didn't become what they're by embarking on subsistence farming. That's why we have IITA, NRCRI etc. Weather disruptions, land deficiency, poor seeds, low yield etc are some of the problems bedeviling our agricultural sector nay industry at large.

Agriculture has gone beyond tilling the soil or milking the cow(s). It's a business. But first, the environment must be conducive for such to thrive effectively.

About your issue of leaving 50ha of land to waste away while going into the art and science of masquerading; that's a Nigerian mentality, which is an unfortunate one. I can bet they will be against a "non-indigene" to invest in their area or vomit ridiculous amount of community fees an investor should pay. 9 out of 10, Nigerians deserve what they're going through.

I support the second comment of this thread

Lazy fellows. Let everyone have his/her own tomatoes farm in their yards. Subsistence farming all the way. If your yard is all concrete get a bathtub and start organc farming.

makaveli902:



Those measures are good enough but for now we need immediate solution to tomato scarcity which to me is to open our borders for duty and tax free tomato to come in....

a bottle of drink for u! u understand d meaning of d word "immediate"

The tomato is already xpensive..n to top it all,wen transportin it n u pass tru a chekpoint hia in d north b it police or army,u must drop at least #50..imagine passing close to like 10chekpoints n each collectin #50 each n also transport fare is high...u hv to put dt wen selling ur product dts y is unneccesarily xpensive

Tomato is now the talk of the town because it is scarce . Let us not forget that seasonality of agricultural produce is Nigeria because there is no or adequate storage facilities or even primary processing activities that will increase the shelf life of these produce that is why we see them waste at harvest and free weeks down the line, they are no where to be found or very expensive. Had there been storage of those tomatoes wasted or sold at giveaway prices would have cushioned this scarcity now, but no. It applies to other produce too. So, until government is willing and able to install working storage principle, structures and processes that will handle the excess produce, seasonality of agricultural produce with remain in Nigeria.

Some years ago, it was pepper scarcity; this year, it is tomato scarcity. Both crops are from the north. When will the south, the east and the west learn to be self sufficient in food production? Yet, the east is beating drums of separation.

At times I wonder why people just raise topics without knowledge of the post.

@OP and all

Before we can profer solution (tho whatever you say here on Nairaland will not solve the problem but we are brainstorming as future leaders) to the problem at hand we have to know the problem.

we have two theories for the tomato scarcity.
1. A pest.
2. Dangote.

The pest is said to have destroyed the tomato farm leading to shortage of supply why on the other hand dangote has bought all the tomato available for his tomato factory.

Nairalanders we can only proffer solution only when we know the truth abt the scarcity.

I rest my case.....