The Federal Government in 2017 approved a tomato policy guideline to foster the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIPR) and the administration’s bid to diversify the economy. The policy is meant to among other things cut down on post-harvest losses, curb the import of tomato concentrates through increased imports tariff from 5 per cent to 50 per cent and an additional $1500 levy per metric tonnes.
The policy is further expected to create opportunities for the farmers, processors, and fabricators of small scale and large scale equipment and improve capacity for export to another part of the Africa countries and the international market.
Since its approval, there has been tomato concentrates being imported into the country in spite of its health concerns before the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.According to a report, this intervention in tomato is financed under the Anchor Borrowers’Programme (ABP) where farmers would be linked to proximal processors where applicable, or financed to produce fresh fruits for direct consumption, which constitutes the largest use of tomato in the country.
According to Mr. Bola Oyeleke, Managing Director of Tomatoes and Orchard Processors Association of Nigeria (TOPAN), Nigeria has the best tomatoes in the world. There are several value chains in tomato production and tomato can be used for juice, ketchup, paste and it can be consumed raw.
Tomato is a popular vegie you can find in Nigeria home dishesjust like rice is common staple food consumed by the people daily. Tomato is one of the main ingredients in hundreds of Nigerian and international dishes as well as in the beverage and pharmaceutical industries.
Annually, tomato production in the country was estimated at about 1.701 million tonnes while annual consumption stood at 2.93 million tonnes.
A famous farmed crop in the Northern part of Nigeria, it has been discovered that there are good seeds presently that can do well both during rainy and dry seasons in the country extensively.
The tomato policy will encourage many young Nigerians to invest and derive a source of job creation and income in the tomato value chain beginning of the production and to the point of consumption.
Also, this will equally contribute to easy monitoring of safety of produce available in the market and stores after production.
In January, 2020, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, during his speech at the flag-off N10bn Tomato Company in Kaduna, said the federal government has last year indicated its intention to ban the importation of tomato products into the country by 2021 to stem massive job losses to foreign countries as well as better the lives of impoverished local farmer.
This is through the impact from the components of the tomato policy.
He further added that the CBN’s intervention in local tomato production and processing had become more critical given that tomato is among the commodities that play an important role in the demand for foreign exchange in the economy, adding that this had necessitated a holistic approach in tackling related challenges bedeviling the value chain.
With Government effort through Central Bank of Nigeria this policy will attract big players through the tomato value chain including Dangote Tomato Processing Limited, Sonia Foods, GB Foods (GBF), Vegefresh Company Limited and a host of others towards ensuring that the country becomes self-sufficient in tomato, as well as ensure that processing companies maintain safety and function at full capacity to be able to employ millions of Nigerian youths.
– Godwin Adinoyi Jimoh
Barns Connect.
Jimohgodwinadinoyi@gmail.com
