Tomato Association Executives |
There
are serious indications that succour has come for the once comatose
tomato industry, which has been one of the most neglected value-chains
in the agricultural sub-sector of the Nigerian economy.
Reason:
Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria have
just elected their new national executives, who will steer the ship of
the association for the next four years.
The
newly elected President of the association is now Alhaji Abdullahi
Ringim, while the newly-elected National Publicity Secretary is the
Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of AgroNigeria, Mr. Richard-Mark
Mbaram.
Speaking
during his opening remarks, Ringim said: “For a long time, agriculture
has been neglected and Nigeria has remained a net importer of tomato. As
at last three years, statistics showed that Nigeria imported $16
billion worth of tomato.
“What
people do not even realise is that there is no single tomato processing
industry in Nigeria. Wherever you see tomato, either in can or sachet,
they are all imported. Most people are of the view that Gino produces
tomato in Nigeria, but the fact is that they can tomato, not produce
it,” he said.
He
went further by saying “the only tomato processing company that has the
capacity of processing 1200 metric tons per day, is the one being
installed in Kano State by the Dangote Group. That also has no canning
line, but only processing. The second is our own company in Dadinkowa
which has the capacity of producing 600 metric tons, but with a canning
line.
“I
used the word canning because they hardly take out local tomato to
process and sell. All they do is import tomato paste, and then can in
Nigeria. Now, this is where our challenge lies, and it is a big
challenge for the tomato farmers, either from the Gworonyo or Dadinkowa
cultivation stretch, who strive to produce tomato, through thick and
thin with little or no governmental support”.
Ringim
condemned the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) decision to restrict
importers from using the Nigeria Forex market to source funds for
importation of some products; saying there are two dimensions to it. The
good part, he said, is that it will help those with capacity to produce
tomatoes in Nigeria do more, but hinted that with the lack of adequate
production, the problem will be compounded because people who import
tomatoes through the port or airports will start smuggling them in.
He
nevertheless assured members of the association that he will discharge
his responsibilities with an open mind, making sure that all members are
carried along through consultations with other stakeholders; while
reaching out to those outside the country also.
According
to him, the government has not technically banned the importation of
tomatoes “but it has said that as importers of tomatoes, they are not
adding value to the farmers, so they are to access their Forex from the
autonomous markets, it is good because it now puts less constraint on
our foreign reserves,” he said.
Quickly
stepping into his responsibility as the voice and image-maker of the
association, Mbaram corroborated the stance of his president by stating
that tomato is a very essential food ingredient that is highly consumed
by nearly everybody- old and young – and as such, the government should
give the sector the necessary support to become self-sufficient in its
production and even go a step further to promote its export.
With
a reassuring voice that indicates determination to work, he said: “It
is all about advocacy, and telling the stories of the realities in the
sector. The Executive Secretary of FACAN, Alhaji Akin Gbadamosi
applauded the members for their display of maturity and urged that they
should cooperate to ensure the revitalization of the sub-sector.
No comments:
Post a Comment