Nigeria's Annual Tomato Crisis Is Back, and It's Juicier Than Ever
Looks like Nigeria's annual tomato price spike is back, and this time @ShoutsAndMiras, our resident Twitter "tomato queen," is here to break it down for us. Her recent thread offers some much-needed perspective on why we're all suddenly paying through the nose for our jollof rice ingredients.
Unfortunately, she’s blocked us on twitter so we could not retweet it. I’m sure she blocked us because of Folly because that’s the only person that makes enemies on the internet.
Anyway, @ShoutsAndMiras reminds us of something we seem to forget every year: tomatoes are seasonal.
Shocking, I know.
During Nigeria's rainy season, growing these finicky fruits becomes about as reliable as Lagos traffic. But it's not just the rain causing problems. She calls out the yearly chorus of tomato associations blaming "tuta absoluta" for low yields. According to her, this pest problem is more exaggerated than a Nollywood plot twist. We haven't had serious tuta issues since 2016, but it seems some folks never let a good crisis go to waste.
Now, let's talk numbers: during peak season, farmers spend about 1.5 million naira per hectare for 40-50 MT of tomatoes. But when the rains come, costs balloon to 2 million naira for significantly less yield. It doesn't take an economist to see that's a recipe for high prices.
Transportation's another headache. She explains that moving tomatoes from north to south during rainy season is hell. Higher humidity, slower transport, and more damage en route all add up to pricier produce. Oh, she’s the founder of Tomato Jos so she knows her onions…or should I say tomatoes (??)
But this year's got an extra twist. @ShoutsAndMiras points out we're dealing with a perfect storm: sky-high inflation, fertilizer prices that'll make your eyes water, and weather that's more unpredictable than ever. We’ve started praying against rain at EatDrinkFestival in December so global warming is doing a thing. Farmers are planting less and spending more, with yields that would disappoint even the most optimistic gardener.
To top it off, she notes that Nigeria doesn't bother collecting real data on crop acreage. Because who needs facts when you can have wild speculation, right?
So what's the solution?
Well, you could wait until August when Kwara State starts producing rainy season tomatoes. Or you could just accept that sometimes, tomatoes are going to cost more than your lunch at RSVP. Speaking of RSVP, do you know that Copa del Lebanon is now 16k?!?!?!?
Shout out to @ShoutsAndMiras for dropping this knowledge bomb. Next time you're clutching your pearls over tomato prices, remember: the "tomato queen" warned us. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to beg her to unblock us and apologize for whatever Folly did because, again, Nosa is never problematic on the internet.