In most vegetable markets in and around Jos, the Plateau State capital, there is currently a huge supply of tomatoes beyond what most buyers can take.
Weekend Trust correspondent who visited the Farin Gada market, one of the biggest vegetable markets in the state, reports that vehicles were seen trooping into the market, loaded with tomatoes of various varieties from different farming communities.
Checks by our correspondent during the visit revealed that the abundance of the products in the market has resulted in the crash in price with traders scrambling to find buyers for their products.
This development, they said, has attracted many buyers from within and outside the state to patronise the product for either commercial or domestic purposes.
Traders said that currently, one can get a basket of tomatoes for N3,000. They noted that the price range now is mostly around N3,000, N4,000 and N5,000, depending on the size of the basket and the quality of the product.
This is a far cry from just a few months ago, when the price of tomatoes was so high that it became a luxury which many couldn’t afford, forcing them to exclude it from their meals.
In June last year, buyers and consumers lamented the hike in the price of the product, with prices rising to almost their highest level in the last two decades. During this period, a big basket was sold for between N80,000 and N100,000, while the smallest basket was sold for N26,000.
While buyers rejoice over the current price of the commodity, farmers on the other hand are not happy with the drop in price of the product, citing the huge amount of money invested in their farms, resulting in high cost of production.
Responses from farmers regarding the crash in prices indicated that they were unhappy with the development.
Many who flooded the market with the product expressed concerns that the low prices would not even cover their production costs, let alone provide a decent profit. This has left them worried about their livelihoods and the sustainability of their farming businesses.
Musa Ubale, a tomato farmer, who expressed sadness over with the fall in price of tomato in the market, said “Basically, I am not happy with the price because of the current economic condition in the country. Most of the farming imputes we bought during the farming were very expensive, making the farming generally expensive. “
Ubale said they had hoped for a better price after harvest considering the amount they spent. “Whenever tomato floods the market, it affects the farmers because those who collected loans will not be able to repay or even access another loan since they will not be able to pay their debts.”
Shehu Dahiru, another farmer who supplied tomato to the market, shared the same sentiment with Ubale, saying that no farmer will be comfortable with the current situation.
According to him “No farmer can say he is happy with the situation of the market. I assure you that if the market goes like this, we will run into loss and I don’t think there will be further production of tomato by farmers because most of them will lose their capital.”
In many instances where tomato prices fall, farmers are often encouraged to use storage facilities to store the commodity.
However, for Ubale, the reality is different. With people struggling to make ends meet, they prefer to sell the product at a loss rather than hold onto it, as they don’t have the financial means to spend on storage or waiting for prices to rebound, explaining that such situation forces them to prioritise immediate financial relief over potential long-term gains.
“Whenever we have this kind of situation, we do write to the federal government for a solution by providing a storage facility but most of the farmers don’t use it due to economic hardship. Farmers cannot store tomato while their family is hungry. This is a great obstacle to the farmers. Even if you decide to dry but you don’t have anything at home to eat, the farmer would rather sell at whatever price to afford food to eat,” Ubale said.
He further explained that this year, farmers battled with pests that killed some of their crops. They said except for those with sufficient capital, who were able to prevent the disease to some extent, many farmers were severely affected.
The last blow to the farmers is the sudden fall in price now, which has left a lot of them devastated, and wondering how they will recover from the significant financial losses.
However, the recent drastic drop in price is seen as a welcome relief to consumers, drawing many customers to the market and bringing smiles to the faces of buyers. Many of them who spoke to Weekend Trust said the hike in price of the product had prevented them from buying in large quantities.
Mora Chukwuka, a buyer at the market, expressed satisfaction with the current price and wished that it could go down further, enabling them to buy in large quantities. This, she believes, would allow her to take advantage of the bargain and stock up.
She said: “We are happy that the price has come down because even in December, the price was still high. Now, we can get a basket for N3000. During Christmas, we bought at the price of N10, 000. We thank God.”
Christiana Young, another buyer, prays that the price will drop further.
“We thank God that the price has come down. Now, one can get a basket for N5500, 6500 or N7500, depending on the size of the basket and the quality of the tomato. We believe it would still drop again.”
Stakeholders in the market acknowledged that the current low price could adversely affect farmers. However, they also predicted that prices would likely appreciate over the next two months, especially with the onset of the heat period.
Abubakar Suleman, Vice Chairman of the market, attributed the current price to the concurrent harvest of tomatoes across various cultivation areas.
He explained that “Farmers in Zaria, Katsina, Kano, and Bauchi are harvesting their tomatoes, which could impact the price of the product in Jos. However, he expressed optimism that by March, the price is likely to rise again.”