The federal government yesterday declared a state of emergency on tomatoes subsector in the country, saying that 80 per cent of tomatoes farms had been ravaged by a pest known as tuta absoluta.
The government noted that the action followed a scarcity of the commodity in the country which had led to an outrageous increase in the price where available, adding that a new tomatoes policy to address the current crisis was underway.
Minister of industry, trade and investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, told newsmen after a meeting with major stakeholders across the tomatoes value chain that comprised packagers, relevant government ministries and regulatory agencies, farmers and processors, that a technical committee that would draft the proposed policy would be inaugurated next week.
“A technical committee that would work on the policy draft should take-off next week so that we would have an approved plan in place before the next tomatoes season,’’ she said.
The government noted that the action followed a scarcity of the commodity in the country which had led to an outrageous increase in the price where available, adding that a new tomatoes policy to address the current crisis was underway.
Minister of industry, trade and investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, told newsmen after a meeting with major stakeholders across the tomatoes value chain that comprised packagers, relevant government ministries and regulatory agencies, farmers and processors, that a technical committee that would draft the proposed policy would be inaugurated next week.
“A technical committee that would work on the policy draft should take-off next week so that we would have an approved plan in place before the next tomatoes season,’’ she said.
