Abuja residents abandon fresh tomatoes as prices soar nationwide

Some housewives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have started patronising sellers of dry tomatoes as the cost of fresh ones continues to increase.

According to a survey of markets in Dutse and Bwari in Abuja on Sunday, housewives now prefer dry tomatoes because they are cheaper.

Temitope Joshua, a housewife and a civil servant, said she dried her tomatoes in the past just for preservation but changed her preservation method when she bought a deep freezer.

However, she said the recent hike in the price of tomatoes forced her to revisit the use of dry tomatoes for her cooking, adding that they were cheaper and had more value than fresh ones.

Ms Joshua said she bought in bulk to avoid its scarcity.

“The demand now is high because a lot of people have also resolved to use dry tomatoes for their cooking since the fresh ones are so expensive.

“The dry tomatoes are not only cheap but plentiful in quantity, so you will get value for your money,” she said.

Another housewife and businesswoman, Joy Idowu, said she used dry tomatoes because they were cheaper.

According to her, the smallest bowl of fresh tomatoes sells for N500 in the markets, while the small paint rubber goes for N2,500.

Ms Idowu said she bought dry tomatoes between N100, N200, and N700, depending on the size.

Similarly, Bright Samuel, a bachelor, said he also improvised because he could not afford fresh ones.

“I decided to switch from fresh tomatoes to dry ones and mix them with tin or sachet tomato paste just to give it my desired taste,” he said.

Alhassan Umar, one of the sellers of dry tomatoes, said he had experienced high patronage, adding that the demand had increased, unlike in the past.

He said he had been selling dry tomatoes for a long time but that this year’s demand was high.

Mr Umar described the process of preserving the produce as safe.

He urged Nigerians to adopt the dry preservation method once the fresh ones become affordable again.

(NAN)