*Shehu Usman Jubrin, Chairman of the Mile 12 International Market, in Lagos State, attributes the recent increases in costs of tomatoes, pepper, and other perishable agricultural produce to constant insecurity and related factors, especially in the Northern part of the West African country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Against the backdrop of recent price hikes of tomatoes and other agricultural commodities across markets in Nigeria, marketers have attributed the situation to insecurity, and other factors, including supply shortage from the Northern part of the country to the South.

绿帽献妻 reports Shehu Usman Jubrin, Chairman of the Mile 12 International Market, in Lagos State, who affirmed this while featuring on a Channels TV programme monitored Monday, June 17, 2024, in Lagos, attributed the recent high costs of tomatoes, pepper, and other perishable items on insecurity and related factors.

Checks during this festive period and associated holidays indicated that a small basket of tomatoes goes for about N35,000 in the market whereas the price of pepper also has increased, thereby raising concerns among Nigerian, especially women and wives in several households, according to report.

Jubrin however, stated the insecurity in the Northern part of the country remains a major factor for price hikes of farm produce.

The Chairman also explained: 鈥淭he bone of contention, the real fact is just insecurity. Let me tell you, that鈥檚 the truth. And there鈥檚 absolutely nothing the country will do.

鈥淭his price hike will continue. They are still buying tomatoes at the rate of N1,000 for three pieces.鈥�

He noted: 鈥淣inety-nine percent of the people in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps are farmers. They don鈥檛 know anything apart from farming 鈥� both male and female.

鈥淭he people who are on the farm and are farming with one eye closed are just about 1,500 out of like 5,000 farmers we have across the whole country.鈥�

Jubrin equally disclosed some of the farmers do negotiate with, and pay bandits before they can go to their farms to harvest the products.

The Mile 12 International Market leader asserted: 鈥淚n those places where you are getting all these items, there are negotiations between them and the bandits who ask them, 鈥楬ow much are you going to pay me to harvest and bring to the market?’

鈥淪o, for as long as those people are in IDP camps, the country will continue to be in trouble in terms of food items.鈥�

Besides the disturbing issue of insecurity, Jubrin as well said other factors, including pests causing low yields and outright shortages in the product supply value chain from the North to the South.

鈥淟et me just talk about tomatoes first. From November, December, January, February, March, and April, up to May, you have tomatoes from the North.

鈥淵ou have Danja, Kanjumi, Kadawa, Kano and then Katsina states. This is the off-season now, so we expect tomatoes from Ilaro, Ogbomosho, Abeokuta, and Osun to come to Lagos, you know, and also part of Cameroon. That is a kind of substitute for the Northern ones,鈥� he revealed.

The market leader stated: 鈥淯nfortunately, it鈥檚 late: the one from Cameroon, the one from Abeokuta and Ogbomosho. And as we approach the festive period, tomatoes will be expensive.

鈥淭he Northern tomatoes are finished, and we don鈥檛 have substitutes from the South.鈥�

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