Pest: Tomato farmers want govt’s monetary, technical support


 Two tomato growers in Hadejia, Jigawa, have called on the Federal Government to provide special support package to mitigate their suffering, following destruction of tomato farms by pest.
A cross section of the farmers made the call in Hadejia in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
NAN reports that thousands of hectares of tomato plantations were destroyed following pest invasion of farms this season in some states across the country.
The pest called ‘Tuta Absoluta,’ ravaged tomato farms in Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Katsina, and other major producing areas, which resulted to scarcity and hike in prices.
Malam Kaila Bature, a farmer, said that such support was imperative to enable them to continue to till the land for improved agricultural production.
Bature said that most farmers had lost their investments to pest, adding that they were facing serious financial problems to enable them remain in the field.
``We lost our investment to the pest; most of the affected farmers could not farm and grow tomatoes due to lack of capital.
``The Federal Government should ensure immediate support to tomato farmers, to mitigate their suffering and encourage production,`` he said.
Another farmer, Malam Baba Nuhu, also called for the introduction of modern preservation techniques for perishable produce to minimise wastage due to absence of such facilities.
Nuhu noted that absence of modern preservation techniques coupled with hot weather condition had caused some losses to farmers.
He added that tomato and other perishable produce could not be preserved in high temperature, hence the need for specialised storage facilities.
The farmer also called on the Jigawa Government to establish tomato processing plants in Hadejia, to reduce wastage and provide market for the produce. 

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