“You also find out that some of these importers import all kinds of substandard tomato pastes that can be hazardous to the public,”

“We are lucky it was just showers and we pray it will not happen again till the month of April to May so that we have enough time space to finish harvesting our tomato,”

The association’s President, Mr. Job Oyeleke said that by increasing yields, foreign investors would be attracted to the sector to develop tomato paste production.

The federal government will soon ban the importation of tomato paste before the end of this year, the minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said.

“Also, locally produced tomato paste is designed to curb the incessant health challenges experienced by Nigerians as a result of the consumption of substandard tomato paste imported into the country from China.”

“There have not been any effect on the new policy as the market is continually flooded with several foreign brands of tomato.’’

About 3,000 farmers to benefit from Kano Post-Harvest Hub initiative of an NGO, Pyxera Global YieldWise Nigeria, to reduce post-harvest loss for tomatoes.

Following the resolve by the Nigerian Customs Service to commence implementation of the New Tomato Production Policy, indications have emerged that Dangote Tomato Processing Plant and three other firms may commence operations soon.

The cost of processing the loan is, most of the times, high for poor farmers.

“We also want to ensure there is coordination among stakeholders in the value chain,”

Given the importance of the crop as the most consumed in Nigeria, boosting its production has been accorded high priority by the government.

He further explained that a small basket (‘chilliga’ in Hausa) is now sold at N600 to N1,000 depending on its quality as against N4,500 it was sold about two months ago.

Mr Sikiru Lawal Omotunde, the Chief Executive Officer of Ayoola Farms in Imesi-Ile, Osun State is a successful tomato farmers.

He explained that the policy had stimulated the establishment of new tomato processing plants as well as the resuscitation of some hitherto comatose tomato concentrating plants.

“The little number of farmers that can go through the stress are the ones that will supply the tomatoes to the market.