Boko Haram Is Responsible For Tomato Scarcity

The Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, has stated that Boko haram is responsible the current tomato scarcity being experienced in Nigeria.

Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture, had earlier attributed the scarcity to tuta absoluta, a pest also known as ‘tomato ebola’.

But speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Mohammed said insecurity in the north-east had forced many farmers out of the zone.

“People talk about the price of tomato but they forget one thing; they forget that the price of tomato today is a direct result of the fact that we have lost two years harvest to Boko Haram insurgency,” he said.

“Most of the people you see riding Okada (motorcycles) in Lagos are people who would have been in the farm to produce consumable items.”

Blamin Boko Haram for the scarcitty, the Minister said, “Do you farm where there is war? We have lost two seasons of harvest in addition we have had very poor rainfall last year and this year. These are the combined responsible for the scarcity of tomato. Go and ask economists and agriculturists, they will tell you.”