The leadership of tomato farmers in Kano State has revealed that they were plunged into problems as tuta absoluta pest is alleged to have resurfaced in all Kano irrigation sites at Garun Malam, Kura, and Bunkure, among others.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday on the pest resurfacing in some tomato-producing areas in the state, chairman of Tomato Out Growers Association of Nigeria (TOGAN) Alhaji Sani Danladi Yadakwari stated that farmers had thought they would be able to control the pest, but indicators have shown that the pest has overpowered them, as many are now groaning in desperation while counting their loses.
According to him, it is an understatement to connote that tuta absoluta has never left the state since its emergence in 2016, adding that despite the fact that farmers have been advancing in the fight against the pest, it is clear that the pest is fighting back so hard.
"We have tried to fight the menace of this pest for years in terms of managing the pests' attack, but little has been done on the government's side. We learned that inputs to fight the pest had been procured; unfortunately, the pesticide is yet to be distributed to farmers. When we followed up on the matter, we were told that there is a need to subject farmers to adequate training on the best processes to adopt in the use of the pesticide. It has been there at the warehouses since last year, and here we are getting hit so hard by the pest," he revealed.
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