Housewives in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) Abuja, on Sunday, said they had ditched tomatoes for their stews and sauces as prices skyrocketed.

The residents stated this in an interview. According to them, eggplants and carrots have replaced tomatoes.

They said eggplants could blend well with rice in the same manner as tomatoes.

Other women said they were exploring pumpkins, pawpaw or traditional soups like white soup and palm fruit soup, popularly called banga soup, instead of tomato stew and sauce.

Jumai Amodu, a mother of five, said a week without rice with tomato stew was unfulfilling for her and the family. She said rice with sauce was a regular on their menu, adding that “there is an unexplainable satisfaction that comes with taking cooked rice and stew.”

The mother of five, however, said with the scarcity and high cost of tomatoes, her family was exploring eggplant stew.

Ms Amodu said, “Since tomatoes became very expensive, we decided to use garden egg for stew, and it is as sweet as tomato stew. The only major difference between eggplant stew and tomato stew is the colour. We also use pumpkin stew with rice sometimes, and although it has its unique taste, it blends well with rice.”

Helen Omo, a businesswoman, said although tomato stew was an important recipe in almost all homes in Nigeria, its scarcity had made some Nigerians think of alternatives.

“I went to the market yesterday to get some tomatoes for stew, and a sizeable bushel, which costs between N2,000 and N2,500, was being sold for as much as N6500,” stated Ms Omo. “I did not bother to haggle the price because it was way beyond my budget.”

An entrepreneur, who identified himself as Chinedu, said he enjoyed eating rice with pepper soup or white soup.

“The prices of all foodstuffs have gone up, but that of tomatoes is outrageous probably because it is tomatoes’ off-season. Besides being expensive, it is very scarce, and as a result, we decided to explore other recipes,” Mr Chinedu explained.

Umar Adamu, a tomato retailer in Nyanya market in the FCT, said he stopped retailing tomatoes for some days due to low patronage. He said customers were not “patronising him because of the high cost.”

Rukkaya Umar, Abraks Farm Produce Nigeria Limited CEO, said the major reason for the tomato scarcity was the high cost of fertiliser. According to her, many tomato farmers did not plant tomatoes because they could not afford fertiliser, adding that fertiliser was critical to its growth.

Mr Umar also said reliance on seasonal farming was a reason for the scarcity.

“Most farmers in Nigeria still do seasonal farming, and that is contributing greatly to scarcity of farm produce, particularly in their off-seasons,” she said.

A sizable basket of tomatoes sold for about N10,000 now sells for about N35,000, while big baskets cost more.

(NAN)