The President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has yesterday, declared a state of emergency on tomatoes subsector in the country.
The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar
While speaking with newsmen after a meeting with major stakeholders across the tomatoes value chain that comprised packagers, relevant government ministries, regulatory agencies, farmers and processors, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, said yesterday that the federal government has declared a state of emergency on tomatoes subsector in the country.
The minister who said that 80 per cent of tomatoes farms had been ravaged by a pest known as tuta absoluta, added that a new tomatoes policy which will address the current crisis was underway.
Aisha Abubakar also disclosed that a technical committee that would draft the proposed policy would be inaugurated next week.
“This meeting was convened in response to the current scarcity of tomatoes in the country occasioned by the outbreak of the tomato moth, tuta absoluta.
“Our investors in the sector have also been upset about the CBN’s ban on foreign exchange allocation for the importation of tomato concentrate, a vital raw material for them.
“So, we all came together to chart a way forward.The major decision we have taken is to develop a tomato policy under our National Industrial Revolution Programme (NIRP).
“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.