'Tomato Ebola
'In local towns, the problem has been labeled 'Tomato Ebola.'"People are panicking, because attaching that name to a staple food has worsened the situation," said Sani.Even those who can afford to buy find it difficult to trust any tomato product, and some have started buying imported tinned tomatoes."Nobody knows now which tomatoes are safe to eat and some people are avoiding them altogether."Local production goes to wasteNigeria isAfrica's second largest producerof tomatoes with over 1.5 million tons harvested, but due to poor storage and transport infrastructure, a significant portion of the crop never makes it to market.Therefore, the country relies on imports to satisfy demand: the United Nations Environment Programmerecentlystated that $1 billion is spent yearly to import tomato paste, while 75 percent of the local harvest goes to waste.A new production facility in the northern city

of Kano was opened recently as part of the efforts to tackle the problem, but was forcedtoshut downearlier in May due to lack of supply."We need assistance from the central federal government to prevent the disease from spreading further and maybe even to other countries," said Sani.Meanwhile, in Spain...Nigerians have taken to Twitter to lament the situation, pointing out in playful disbelief that while they have to pay dearly for tomatoes, at an annual festival in Spain theyare wasted for fun.