Have you been wondering what could be causing the present scarcity of tomatoes in the market in Nigeria, even though our dear country grows 1.5 million tonnes of tomatoes every year, making her the 14th biggest producer in the world. Well this is what you need to know about the current situation of tomatoes scarcity.

"Tuta absoluta" it is...I found this on the timeline of a fine Nigerian medical Doctor who resides in the UK and with a little research this is what i was able to come up with.

"Tuta absoluta is a species of moth in family Gelechiidae known by the common names tomato leafminer and South American tomato moth. It is well known as a serious pest of tomato crops in Europe and South America."

The larva feeds voraciously upon tomato plants, producing large galleries in leaves, burrowing in stalks, and consuming apical buds and green and ripe fruits. It is capable of causing a yield loss of 100%.

Tomato is the main host plant, but T. absoluta also attacks other crop plants of the nightshade family, including potato, eggplant, pepino and tobacco.It is known from many solanaceous weeds, including Datura stramonium, Lycium chilense, and Solanum nigrum.

The adult moth has a wingspan around one centimeter. In favorable weather conditions eight to ten generations can occur in a single year.

According to Wikipedia though the moth was first known as a tomato pest in South American countries, it was identified in Spain in 2006 and have since gone global as it has been detected in France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Morocco, Algeria, Libya and now its ravaging tomato farms in the northern parts of Nigeria.

Management:

It was revealed that some populations of Tuta absoluta have developed resistance to pesticide but new experiments have revealed some promising agents of biological pest control for this moth, including Nabis pseudoferus, a species of damsel bug.

Our Government's reaction:

Too busy with subsidy and petrol price hike to be worried about the tomato industries and its current woes. And a little wonder Billionaire business Mogul Alhaji Aliko Dangote suspended production at his processing factory barely three month after it began operations.

Read more at http://www.duketundesblog.com/2016/05/tomato-scarcity-tuta-absoluta-pest.html#xFTWrjloIZoQroxj.99

That reminds me of the stories in the bible when God wants to punish a nation...I hope we didn't provoke God.

hehehe my brother God forbid that kind punishment o, the suffer don do already lol

youngeagle:
That reminds me of the stories in the bible when God wants to punish a nation...I hope we didn't provoke God.

@op, I would like to know what is happening to maize (corn) at this time. Some insect is eating them, especially the stalk voraciously especially, those planted by April. Those that seems to escape are those planted early, by March.

With the numbers of Agricultural research institutes,proffesor of Agriculture and crop protectionist its a big blow on us to be held in ransom by this small but lethal [tuta absoluta] organisms.

with the surplus of Tomatoes at the begining of this year, one can not imagine, we will be begging cameroun for tomato....

Minister of agric, Audu ogbe, stop telling us how u predicted bokoharams and act fasts.

The government should find a way of bringing in paliative/subsidy (na naija we dey hear diff gramar) in this respect. the effects is been felt by common man most. some people don dey think say na "CHANGE" cause am

duketunde:
hehehe my brother God forbid that kind punishment o, the suffer don do already lol

lol..we will survive

I believe the pest you're talking about is the Sesamia calamistis better known as the African pink stem borer, with all this i wonder how Nigerians will survive o, chai shey all this na part of CHANGE lol

AWONEYAN:
With the numbers of Agricultural research institutes,proffesor of Agriculture and crop protectionist its a big blow on us to be held in ransom by this small but lethal [tuta absoluta] organisms.

with the surplus of Tomatoes at the begining of this year, one can not imagine, we will be begging cameroun for tomato....

Minister of agric, Audu ogbe, stop telling us how u predicted bokoharams and act fasts.

The government should find a way of bringing in paliative/subsidy (na naija we dey hear diff gramar) in this respect. the effects is been felt by common man most. some people don dey think say na "CHANGE" cause am

I believe the pest you're talking about is the Sesamia calamistis better known as the African pink stem borer

rottennaija:
@op, I would like to know what is happening to maize (corn) at this time. Some insect is eating them, especially the stalk voraciously especially, those planted by April. Those that seems to escape are those planted early, by March.

duketunde:
I believe the pest you're talking about is the Sesamia calamistis better known as the African pink stem borer

Thanks it looks more like it. I just check it in Google. How do you treat it?

Read this article may offer some help http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Datasheet.aspx?dsid=49748 but if live close to Ibadan you can visit IART Moor Plantation to get grains that are resistance to the pest.. tho there may be stores around you selling this as well

rottennaija:


Thanks it looks more like it. I just check it in Google. How do you treat it?