The National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria, Kaduna state, says it has developed a vaccine for the tomato pest: tuta absoluta.
Bala Aliyu, the institute’s public relations officer, disclosed this on Thursday, saying the end had come for the disease, which has subjected Nigerians to undue hardship in the last two months. He revealed that the institute worked extensively to provide a solution to the pest, also known as tomato ebola.
“This vaccine has been found to be very effective after undergoing various scientific testing,” he said.
Aliyu said NARICT was partnering with regulatory agencies to certify the vaccine for onward use by farmers in Nigeria and the world at large.
He said all things being equal, the vaccine would be launched soon, adding that it was the responsibility of the federal government to ensure the vaccine gets to the end-users, the farmers.
“We will work with the state and federal government agencies to carry diffuse this important development to our teeming farmers in the country and beyond,” Aliyu added.
Tuta absoluta is a specie of moth in family Gelechiidae known by the common names tomato leafminer and South American tomato moth.
It is well known as a serious pest of tomato crops in Europe and South America.
The federal government had engaged experts to find solution to the spread of the pest, which has ravaged six states across the country.
