The
Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry in Kaduna state, Manzo Daniel today
disclosed that the state government has declared a state of emergency on tomato
following an attack of tomato blight that has wiped out about 80percent of
tomato farms in the state. Manzo stated this while spealing at a press briefing
to mark the administration's one year in office.
"The
tomato blight is caused by an insect called the leafminer, scientifically
called tuta absoluta. What it does is to eat up the tomato leaves and the soft
parts. Unfortunately for us, this infestation occurred last year on a smaller
scale but it was not documented. And when we came in, we didn't know about it
until it hit us hard. A team of officials have been dispatched to Kenya to seek
intervention. We have it on authority that there is an extract of a plant that
is effective against the developing stages of the moth. Unfortunately, the
adults are not susceptible to any chemical, if you spray them, within three
hours, they develop resistance. It is a serious issue and we have had to
declare a state of emergency on the commodity. To underscore the seriousness of
the infestation, the Dangote Tomato factory in Kano has shut down due to lack
of raw materials," he lamented.
Mazo
said over 200 farmers have incured losses to the tune of N1 billion as a result
of the disease. A basket of tomato now cost N42, 000.
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