Jos is home to large production of vegetables – cabbage, carrot, lactose, cucumber, tomato and Irish potato, among others. Tomatoes produced in Jos, popularly known as “tomatoJos,” are adjudged to be the best in the country a. Drive round the outskirts of the city and you would find vegetable farms everywhere- from Rayfield to Lamingo, Vom to Miango, Riyom to Heipang in Barkin-Ladi to Bokkos, among other places. Some dams and water stored in mining pods provide irrigation water for the farmers working hard to earn decent living and support their families.

But a visit to some of the markets where these vegetables are sold tells a sad story – they are not well organised. It was observed that the Farin Gada tomato market in Jos North needs serious government attention in terms of expansion and infrastructure, as well as sanitation. Despite the fact that the city has been polarised by many  years of ethno-religious crises, a lot of people outside the state go to the market to buy or sell vegetables. Tonnes of onions, tomatoes and peppers are traded on dusty ground in an unkept  and crowded environment, exposing them to germs. This obviously needs the urgent attention of the Plateau State Government.

SOURCE: DAILY TRUST