Some agriculture stakeholders have called for infrastructure development to cut down post-harvest losses being experienced in tomato cultivation in the country.
The experts made the calls in an interview on Tuesday in Lagos.
They spoke against the backdrop of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari, statement that Nigeria currently loses 45 per cent of its 3.9 million tonnes tomato harvest to post-harvest waste and supply chain inefficiencies annually.
Kyari said despite being the largest producer of tomatoes in Africa, Nigeria remains the world’s largest importer of tomato paste.
“Each year, we produce approximately 3.997 million tonnes of tomatoes, yet 45 per cent, equivalent to around 1.8 million tonnes, goes to waste due to inefficiencies in our agricultural supply chains,” he said.
The President of She farmers Initiatives, Mrs Temitope Hande, said that enhanced infrastructure investment would help to reduce the post-harvest losses of the produce.
“To reduce the level of post-harvest losses in agro-produce and specifically in the tomato subsector, there should be commensurate investment in infrastructure.
“Also, to reduce the losses tomato farmers incur annually, the government should invest in good road network, improved cold storage transportation and easy access to markets for supply,” Hande said.
She noted that conversion of tomatoes to paste, powder and dried tomatoes would reduce post-harvest losses.
“To improve the value-chain of tomatoes, processing hubs should be created close to farms or clusters where farmers can add value to their fresh tomatoes particularly during surplus production,” Hande said.
Also speaking, a strategic agriculture communication expert, Mr Ismail Olawale, said beyond the statistics, proactive measures should be put in place to cut post-harvest losses generally.
“We actually cannot defend the minister’s statistics on tomatoes post-harvest losses.
“However, it is a well known fact in the agricultural research circle that Nigeria like many other developing countries, suffer heavy post-harvest loss due to many factors.
“These factors include poor harvesting technology, poor storage facilities, unpredictable weather, poor transportation system, small and almost uncoordinated markets.
“These losses often affects vegetables, fruits as well as grains even tuber crops and cocoa, coconut and kolanuts.
“There are many research outputs there with most of our agric. research institutes that could help reduce and eventually give farmers and Nigeria the optimal advantage in post harvest,” Olawale said.
He also noted that “It is important that the appropriate authorities begin to take stock of available breakthrough simple and safe harvesting and post harvest technologies.
“And also developing infrastructure and upgrading our markets for simple and safe uptake system that could attract international trading in quick time to save farm produce that may even be lost to market storage system in the urban and rural areas.”
NAN
