By Kemi Akinseye
TOMATO is a cuisine and a major staples in Nigerian cuisines, used in everything from stews and soups to sauces and salads.
Extant credible statistics, show that Kaduna, Kano and Plateau States are the top producers of tomatoes in the country .
Tomato is an essential food crop essential for security and income for many farmers.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reported that there have been formidable issues bedeviling its value chains in Nigeria, mainly centred around the menacing recurring perennial post-harvest losses and improving the preservation of the commodity.
In Kaduna State, tomato farmers are calling on the government to help reduce post-harvest losses, which have significantly been impacting their incomes and the overall growth of the sector.
The National Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NATPAN) is advocating government’s intervention to provide equipment and facilities that can help minimise waste and increase value addition.
Some of the challenges facing tomato farmers include limited access to loans for equipment, poor transportation infrastructure, and high perishability of the produce.
To mitigate this, NATPAN is partnering with processing facilities to promote mechanised farming and reduce post-harvest losses.
The use of plastic crates for transportation and solar dryers for preservation are some of the solutions being explored to reduce losses.
The International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC) is also promoting the use of plastic tomato crates and providing training on post-harvest best practices.
Tomato farmers in the state have therefore called on the Federal Government to provide affordable fertilisers and revive tomato processing facilities to curb post-harvest losses and stabilise prices.
One of the farmers, Alhaji Hussaini Uba, told the NAN that tomatoes and other produce were highly perishable, with prices fluctuating due to weather conditions.
He said the establishment of processing plants would help farmers preserve excess produce and reduce waste.
Uba recalled that during the administration of the former Governor of the state, the late Alhaji Balarabe Musa, a tomato processing company was producing canned tomatoes and was absorbing surplus harvests for processing and exports.
He added: “Back then, whenever there was a bumper harvest, tomato was taken to the factory. It helped the farmers minimise losses, but those companies are no longer functioning.”
He added that the price of a basket of tomato currently ranged between ₦12,000 and ₦20,000, depending on quality and variety.
According to him, the common preservation method available to the farmers is slicing and sun-drying tomatoes until the off-season, although many prefer to sell immediately after harvest.
Uba urged Gov. Uba Sani to revive the moribund processing plants and ensure that the farmers have access to affordable inputs.
Another farmer, Salisu Abdullahi, lamented the absence of functional processing companies in the region, stating that farmers relied mainly on sun-drying.
“Although the Northern parts of the country produce a large quantity of tomato, we don’t have processing facilities. Fertilisers and pesticides are also expensive,” he said.
Abdullahi called for government’s intervention to reduce the prices of farm inputs.
He, however, noted that some cold storage facilities in Plateau help preserve tomato and other perishables for a short period, and appealed for similar facilities to be established in Kaduna.
The farmers said such interventions would boost production, improve farmers’ incomes and bolster food supply to guarantee sustainable food security.
In Kano State, tomato farmers have also appealed to the state government to intervene urgently by providing affordable fertilisers and establishing modern storage facilities to address rising costs and reduce post-harvest losses.
The appeal followed the combined challenges of the Tuta absoluta pest outbreak, soaring fertiliser prices, and inadequate storage infrastructure, which had left farmers struggling to meet market demands and preserve their harvests.
Many farmers had reported losses of up to 40 per cent of their crops.
Malam Nura Bello, a tomato farmer from Kura, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) about the increasing challenges in maintaining crop quality.
“The pest outbreak had already caused significant damage to our crops. Now, with high fertiliser prices and a lack of proper storage, it’s almost impossible for us to sustain production.
“We need government’s support to secure fertilisers at affordable rates and build storage facilities to protect our harvests from spoilage,” he further urged.
Sani Ali, a farmer from Bunkure, emphasised the urgency of addressing the storage issue.
Many farmers, he said, were forced to sell their produce at a loss immediately after harvests due to the lack of preservation facilities.
Ali called on the government to collaborate with public and private sector stakeholders to invest in modern storage technologies and establish storage hubs in key agricultural zones.
He advised government to provide pesticides and fertiliser at affordable prices, alongside the establishment of training programmes to help the farmers better manage pests and improve crop yields.
