Following months of skyrocketing prices of fresh tomatoes and fresh pepper across the country, a sigh of relief is sweeping across the country as prices of the two commodities experience dramatic reductions.
This crash in prices is as a result of successful fresh harvests of both tomatoes and pepper hitting the markets from various tomato belts.
The drastic rise in prices was principally due to the outbreak of the pest, Tuta absoluta that hit many tomato farms in the major tomato producing states of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Jigawa states. The outbreak of the Tomato ebola destroyed many farms and immediately made tomatoes and pepper scarce.
Additionally, high cost of transportation from the tomato growing states in the North to other parts of the country also impacted the prices. Apart from these factors, the usual seasonal variation also played a role. Tomatoes are usually scarce during the peak of the raining season with the peak harvest season coinciding with the rainy season break.
However, a market survey conducted by Podium Reporters in some markets reveal a very massive price reduction in the prices of various sizes of baskets of tomatoes and bags of pepper from the peaks witnessed just few weeks ago.
In Onitsha especially the popular Ose and Ochanja market, a big basket of tomatoes now sells for between N60,000 and N70,000 depending on the species and your bargaining skill. Some weeks ago, the big basket cost over N120,000 in Ochanja – a place known for cheaper prices.
In Eke Awka market, a big basket of plumpy tomatoes goes for around N75,000 while some species sell for N55,000. A small basket of tomato (equivalent of a crate) in Awka currently sells for N28,000 in the hands of retailers but can be bought for as low as N20,000 from major middlemen. Around June, this small basket was sold at above N50,000. A small painter bucket of plumpy tomatoes is now sold at N4,000 in Awka while some other species goes for N2,500.
In Abuja, especially Wuse and Dei Dei markets, a big basket of tomatoes goes for around N45,000 depending on the species. Both tomatoes and pepper are however cheaper in Dutse market with a small basket of tomatoes selling for N8,000 as against over N15,000 it was sold previously. In the market, sack of habanero pepper is sold for N9,000 down from between N13,000 and N15,000 while the tatashe species of pepper goes for just over N7,000.
In Lagos, which saw one of the steepest rises in prices at the peak of the tomatoes crises, the prices of the commodity has reduced drastically with a big basket of tomatoes selling for between N55,000 to N60,000 in many markets in Lagos down from the over N150,000 it was sold weeks ago. The small basket goes for between N20,000 to N25,000 compared to the N55,000 it was sold back in June.
In Lagos, a large basket of habanero pepper is now selling for around N25,000 down from between N100,000 to N200,000 it sold for when the scarcity was at its peak. small sack of pepper is currently selling for about N15,000 to N20,000. This previously cost N50,000. In Ketu part of Lagos, the medium sack of habanero pepper fell from N130,000 to N17,500.
However the farm price of a big basket of tomatoes is between N25,000 to N30,000 in most tomato belts. This reduction is from a high of around N80,000 per basket. When middlemen defray their transportation expenses in moving the produce from farms or the major markets especially in the North to the southern States, the prices most times double adding to the acute food inflation.
With new harvests from the wet season production now coming out, prices of tomatoes and pepper are expected to stabilise and even get cheaper especially between now and November. This will be a welcome relief to families who have had to seek for alternative ingredients to make their stews in the wake of the astronomical spike in prices of fresh tomatoes and pepper.