Business
FADAMA Boss Urges Farmers To Cultivate Tomatoes
The tomato crisis in
the country had been receiving attention as experts and farmers proffer solution on how best to produce the crop, and preserve it.
The Fadama III Coordinator in Plateau, Mr Gideon Dandam, who attributed the present scarcity of the food item and its price hike to low cultivation of the crop by farmers, stressed the need to boost its production.
Dandam told newsmen in Jos that the demand for the crop was very high, while supply remained low, thereby causing scarcity and hike in price.
According to him, most farmers in the state prefer to cultivate maize, millet, potatoes, yams and other crops instead of perishable crops like tomatoes during the rainy season.
“One major cause of scarcity of tomato during rainy season is because there is always high level of water beneath the earth which adversely affects the production of the crop.
“But the major cause of this year’s astronomical and unprecedented scarcity is because only few farmers are involved in tomato cultivation during the wet season.
“Most of our farmers prefer to cultivate crops like yams, maize, potatoes and other crops during the rains, thereby causing unavailability of the crop in such period.
“Also, we now have tomato processing plants in Nigeria, and so the product is always mopped up from points of harvest for processing.
Also, the Edo State Chairman of AFAN, Mr Emmanuel Odigie told The Tide in Benin that the weather in the area was suitable for the cultivation of tomatoes and called on farmers to urgently embark on the cultivation of tomatoes to mitigate the scarcity.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.
