Abuja housewives abandon fresh tomatoes for dry ones over high cost
Some housewives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have started patronising sellers of dry tomatoes as cost of fresh ones continue to increase.
According to newsmen who monitored markets in Dutse and Bwari in Abuja on Sunday, reports that housewives now preferred dry tomatoes because it was cheaper.
Mrs Temitope Joshua, a housewife and a civil servant said that she dried her tomatoes in the past just for preservation but changed her method of preservation when she bought a deep freezer.
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She, however, said that the recent hike in price of tomatoes had forced her to revisit the use of dry tomatoes for her cooking, adding that it was cheaper and had more value than the fresh ones.
Joshua said that she bought in bulk to avoid its scarcity.
“I buy plenty when I go to the market because sometimes it is scarce and this is not even the season.
“The demand now is high because a lot of people have also resolved to be using dry tomatoes for their cooking since the fresh ones are so expensive.
“The dry tomatoes are not only cheap but plenty in quantity that you will have value for your money.
“I just wash them very well when I get home, soak and blend for my stew; that is all. I used it in the past and I am okay using it again, and my children like the taste too,” she said.
Another housewife and business woman, Mrs Joy Idowu, said that 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.
Idowu said that she bought dry tomatoes between N100, N200 and N700 depending the size of mudu.
Similarly, Mr Bright Samuel, a bachelor, said that he also improvised because he could not afford the fresh ones.
“I decided to switch from fresh tomatoes to the dry ones, and mix with tin or sachet tomato paste just to give it my desired taste,” he said.
Mr 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 in the business of selling dry tomatoes for a long time, but that this year’s demand for it was high.
Umar described the process of preservation of the produce as safe.
He urged Nigerian to adopt the dry method of preservation once the fresh ones become affordable again.
