Residents lament as tomato price goes up in Kano

Residents in Kano State have lamented the daily increase in the price of tomatoes in the state. 

A resident of Yankaba quarters, Malam Umar Garba, said the rise in tomato price is disturbing as this is the peak of its production, yet the price kept going up. 

According to him, a basket of good tomatoes at Yankaba perishable market was sold at N10,000 last week as against N3, 000 sold in January last year. He said tomato buyers are worried that with the hike in price, it might soon go beyond the common man’s reach. 

A survey conducted by the Kano/Jigawa Chronicle revealed that a big basket of tomatoes is now sold at between N12,000 and N14,000 which is very unusual especially during such period. 

However, investigation has indicated that the high cost of the product could be attributed to the closure of the main water source for irrigation sites in five local governments in the state. 

It was gathered that the closure of Tiga Dam on November 1, 2021, which will last for five months has been the major reason behind the drop in tomato production in the state and hence the high cost of the product. 

A tomato farmer, Malam Yusuf Garun-Malam, stated that tomato users had to exercise patience as it was apparent there would be a scarcity of not only tomato but also other perishables in the state due to the closure of the dam.