At a four-day capacity-building workshop for financial institutions held in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, revealed that Nigeria has lost over ₦1.3 billion due to the outbreak of Tuta absoluta, also known as the tomato leaf miner or “Tomato Ebola,” in three states.

The workshop was organized by HortiNigeria in partnership with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending Plc. Kyari noted that the outbreak has driven the price of a 50-kilogram basket of tomatoes from ₦5,000 to between ₦10,000 and ₦30,000, worsening food inflation and putting additional pressure on household finances.

The Minister identified Kano, Katsina, and Kaduna as the states where the losses occurred. He explained that the tomato ebola outbreak has exposed the vulnerability of Nigeria’s horticultural systems, noting that the invasive pest can destroy entire tomato crops within 48 hours, resulting in severe yield losses.

He emphasized that the crisis underscores the urgent need for integrated pest management, investment in resilient tomato varieties, and increased support for farmers to protect the nation’s food supply chains.

The Minister emphasized the significance of horticulture in Nigeria, describing it as a “sleeping giant” within the agricultural sector that holds vast potential the country must unlock. He noted that achieving this requires access to sustainable and well-structured financing.

Kyari, who defined horticulture as the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, and ornamentals, stressed that it represents much more than just a sub-sector of agriculture.

He said:

“Tomatoes and peppers, essential ingredients in virtually every Nigerian kitchen, serve as baseline commodities for daily cooking.

“When the prices of these staples spike, they set off a chain reaction that affects the cost of meals across homes, restaurants and food vendors.

“According to the 2024 National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), tomatoes led the food price index with a staggering 320 per cent year-on-year increase, followed by peppers and other produce.

“These spikes disproportionately affect low-income households, underlining the urgent need for more stable production, better storage and accessible finance across the horticulture value chain.”

He described horticulture as a dynamic engine for rural transformation, job creation, improved nutrition, and trade diversification.

“With increasing urbanisation and growing awareness of healthy diets, consumer demand for fresh and diverse produce is rising rapidly. Horticulture is well-positioned to meet this demand,” he added.

He further noted that despite the challenges facing the sector, horticulture remains one of the most promising areas for agricultural transformation.

He pointed out that, unlike staple crop farming, horticulture provides higher value per hectare, making it ideal for smallholder commercialization. It also features shorter production cycles, allowing for multiple harvests annually.

He added that the sector offers greater labor absorption, providing year-round employment, especially for women and youth, and creating strong connections to processing, packaging, retail, and export markets.

“The sector also offers climate resilience through protected cultivation and irrigation systems, urban food access through peri-urban farming and logistics integration.

“Horticulture is a high-impact, high-return opportunity sitting at the intersection of agriculture, health, industry, and trade,” he emphasized.

The minister outlined key contributions of the horticulture sector to Nigeria’s agricultural transformation, including the diversification of agricultural production and incomes, food and nutrition security, employment, and youth engagement.

He also pointed out other significant contributions such as import substitution, export potential, climate adaptation and resilience, and urban market integration.

Kyari explained that the sector enables smallholder farmers to diversify their production and earn steady incomes beyond traditional grain cycles.

“Crops like tomatoes, pineapples, cucumbers, citrus, and plantains have huge domestic demand and are becoming increasingly important commercial crops.

“On food and nutrition security, horticultural crops provide rich sources of vitamins A, C, iron, zinc, and folate, which are essential for child development, maternal health, and disease prevention.

“Scaling up their production and making them more affordable is critical in tackling malnutrition in all its forms,” he added.

He also called on financial institutions to provide greater support to the sector to help realize its full potential.