Pests, Climate, Insecurity Fuel Soaring Tomato, Pepper Prices

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LAGOS – Agriculture stakeholders have blamed climate change, poor irrigation systems, rising pest infestations, and insecurity for the recurring scarcity and rising prices of tomatoes and peppers across Nigeria, warning that the situation could worsen as the rainy season intensifies.

The stakeholders, who spoke on the growing challenges fac­ing horticultural production in separate interviews with Daily Independent, said climate change has become a major threat to food availability and affordability, par­ticularly for staple vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers that are highly sensitive to weath­er conditions.

They maintained that unless deliberate investments are made in irrigation infrastructure, cli­mate-smart agriculture, pest con­trol systems, and farmer support programmes, recurring shortages of staple vegetables could become more severe in the coming years.

Speaking on the issue, Oyewole Okewole, Senior Associate Consultant at Fu­tuX Agri-consult Limited, described climate change as one of the greatest threats confronting Nige­ria’s horticulture sector.

According to him, rising temperatures in northern Nigeria are already affect­ing flowering, fruit setting, and yields of tomatoes and peppers, while heat stress also accelerates post-har­vest spoilage.

“Climate change is be­coming one of the most significant threats, if not the most significant, to Nigeria’s horticulture sec­tor,” he said.

Okewole explained that tomatoes and peppers are highly sensitive to tem­perature stress and water fluctuations, noting that irregular weather patterns are disrupting production cycles and reducing har­vest volumes.

He further stated that climate change is contrib­uting to the spread of pests and diseases, as higher temperatures and humid­ity fluctuations create favourable conditions for fungal infections, bacteri­al diseases, and pest infes­tations that damage crops and reduce quality.

Also speaking, Austine Gbenga Adeniba, Chief Op­erating Officer, Eliakim In­tegrated Services Ltd, said climate change now goes beyond environmental concerns and has become a major agricultural and economic issue affecting food security in Nigeria and across Africa.

“Climate change plays a major role in the recur­ring scarcity of tomatoes and peppers because these crops are highly sensitive to changes in temperature, rainfall, humidity, and ex­treme weather conditions,” he said.

Adeniba stressed that the impact of climate change is directly affect­ing food availability and affordability, leading to persistent shortages and higher market prices.

However, another stake­holder, Adebowale Ona­fowora, Managing Direc­tor of BIC Farms Concept, argued that while climate change is real, government failures in irrigation and agricultural planning have worsened the situation.

He noted that although sustained rainfall benefit­ed some farmers in 2025, devastating floods also de­stroyed several thousand hectares of farmland in October, leading to heavy crop losses.

“Climate change is real, but using it as an excuse for every shortage is lazy governance,” he said.

Onafowora questioned Nigeria’s continued depen­dence on rainfall despite the country having enough dams to support all-year-round farming.

According to him, the failure to maintain and expand irrigation systems has left farmers vulnerable to weather disruptions and seasonal production short­ages.

He added that the coun­try’s overreliance on emer­gency dry-season farming interventions has also con­tributed to recurring pest outbreaks such as Tuta Ab­soluta, popularly referred to by farmers as “tomato Ebola.”

“This pest wipes out har­vests every time the heat spikes,” he stated.

On his part, Bola Oye­leke, National President of the Tomato and Orchard Producers Association of Nigeria (TOPAN), said cli­mate change manifests in several ways, including ex­treme heat, delayed rainfall patterns, insecurity, and rising production costs, all of which are affecting farmers’ ability to cultivate tomatoes and peppers.

He explained that inse­curity has limited access to farmlands in some areas, while adverse weather con­ditions are reducing pro­ductivity and discouraging smallholder farmers from continuing cultivation.

“The terrible heat we are facing now brings late rain­fall, and insecurity means people cannot access farms to cultivate tomatoes and peppers,” he said.

Oyeleke further warned that the rainy season could bring additional challeng­es such as pest infestations and crop diseases, which may further reduce produc­tion and push prices even higher.

According to him, many small-scale farmers are already struggling with the high cost of financ­ing rainy-season farming, making production more expensive and risky.

“Rainy season farming is more costly, and many farmers may back out because of the cost of fi­nance,” he said.

He, however, advocated increased investment in cli­mate-smart technologies, mechanised farming, and improved access to tractors and modern agricultural tools to help farmers cope with the combined effects of insecurity and climate change.