Tomato farmers lament price drop, post-harvest losses

Following the massive drop in the price of tomatoes in the last few weeks, farmers who made a kill during this period have begun to lament because of what they consider heavy losses, as they are now forced to sell at low prices or risk having their crops destroyed owing to glut in the market.

One of the reasons attributed to this is the large supply of tomatoes from neighbouring countries and the glut from harvest in Gombe State, which has undoubtedly, created a difficult situation for local farmers.

While consumers are happy with the price drop, the development has created a considerable challenge for producers, who are already grappling with high costs of production.

Between January and May, farmers, especially those who planted early through irrigation, made huge profits, as price of the produce went beyond the reach of the common man.

During this period, at the popular Mile 12 Market, Lagos, a basket of tomatoes sold for between N120, 000 and N150,000. A crate of tomatoes sold for between N50, 000 and N70, 000. As consumers were complaining of rise in price, farmers were smiling to the banks.

Now, with decline in price, crate, which sold for between N50, 000 and N70, 000 earlier in the year, has dropped to between N8, 000 and N12, 000, with a basket selling for between N60, 000 and N70, 000.

The Chief Executive Officer, Produce Export Development Alliance (formerly AFGEAN), Adetiloye Aiyeola, who confirmed the massive price drop, said what the farmers are currently experiencing is a complex interplay between supply, demand, and production economics.

He said: “Local farmers are struggling to keep up with cheaper imports and market gluts, making it nearly impossible for them to remain competitive. The high cost of inputs like seeds, fertilisers, and labour, combined with underdeveloped post-harvest systems, makes local production less cost-efficient. As a result, many of our farmers are forced to sell at a loss or risk having their crops spoilt due to inadequate storage facilities.

“This situation highlights the urgent need for intervention in the form of better post-harvest systems, access to finance and policy support. Nigeria has the potential to be self-sufficient in tomato production, but we must address the structural inefficiencies that prevent our farmers from fully realising their potential. Without these reforms, we risk undermining the very people who form the backbone of our agricultural economy.”

Continuing, he noted: “The produce are coming into Nigeria from Ghana, Mali and Cameroun, and entering places like Lagos, Kano. Port Harcourt, Warri and the likes. It has already started driving prices down and because of this, our local farmers are affected because the price of inputs are not coming down, especially due to the fact that the naira-dollar exchange gap kept on widening.

“Prices of fertilisers have not come down, just as other cost of production is increasing daily for the farmers. Meanwhile, the cost of produce imported from other countries is coming down. It means that at the point when farmers are about to harvest, they will definitely sell at a loss. So, this is going to significantly affect our food production efforts.”

Aiyeola noted that all the peppers – shilling, shombo, tatashe and others are down by 30 per cent, while bell and green peppers are down by 50 per cent. “So, their prices are dropping. The situation is actually good for consumers, but not for farmers.”

A farmer based in Ifo, Ogun State, Mr. Kazeem Ogunmodede, who rued the development, said the glut was caused by the huge number of farmers who went into tomato cultivation based on the huge profit recorded by few months ago during the period of acute shortage of the produce. He added that though he incurred losses, his own is minimal compared to that of his colleagues.

“The price will continue to drop because the produce from the North would soon be flooding the market, and with that, expect further drop in the price of the produce.”