2017 Tomato Policy: Stakeholders frown at implementation, monitoring, ask for enforcement

 Stakeholders at the tomato value chain in Nigeria have expressed disappointment in the backdoor review of 2021 on 2017 tomato policy, just as they demanded for its enforcement  to enhance global competitiveness for both local and international markets.

This position was among others taken at the close of National Tomato Technical Stakeholders committee held this week Wednesday, 22nd February, 2023 at Bolton White hotel, Abuja under the auspices of HortiNigera in partnership with National Horticultural Research Institute ( NIHORT)

Speaker upon speaker on the occasion were of the view that the 2017 tomato policy would have been very effective to galvanize productivity towards meeting shortfall demand, but pointed it was poorly implemented with no monitoring, and they demanded for its effective implementation.

Speaking on the occasion, the national tomato producers, processors and Marketers association of Nigeria president, Alhaji Abdullahi Ringim lamented over excessive taxes that have negatively impacted on cost of production to negate price competitiveness in the market places, adding that facilities to control 40-45% post wastages must be given priority to ensure effective development of the produce sub-sector.

Ringim advocates for a uniform tax from the point of production to the places where they are being needed, adding that his association is already partnering the states'government to see how uniform taxes could be entrenched across the nation.

Speaking in line with farmers' representative through virtual zoom, Dr.Oke Abiola of NIHORT reiterated the need to control the issue of multiple tax over easily perishable agricultural produce of tomatoes and others, saying that the continuity of the act could discourage farmers from active cultivations of the produce.

Dr. Oke who demanded a policy review in this light, stated that " if the needful action is not urgently put in place to control this multiple taxation, most farmers might be seen leaving tomato farming for other crops. Many of them are already putting their complaints over exorbitant charges while transporting tomato and others " 

In his welcome address, the program director,  HortiNigera, Mr. Mohammed Salasi stressed the need to use pragmatic policy to drive tomato productivity to maximizely bridge the 13 million metric tons demand shortfall in vegetable related produce using the potential of small medium enterprises to checkmate challenges along the value chains.

According to Salasi " HortiNigeria program seeks to bridge the gap as Nigeria is unable to meet the local market demand for vegetable with an extimated supply gap of 13 million metric tonnes for just three major crops: tomato, onions and okro"

He said further that " the program facilitates the development of a sustainable and inclusive investment by the SMEs to solve value chain bottlenecks, create advocacy to improve enabling environment for Horticultural value chains, strengthen and support existing sector platform and broker business to business partnership"

Stakeholders agreed on the need to resuscitate alert system for the tomatoes killer disease called tuta absoluta through an effective policy review implementations program of eradication as being posited by Mr. Abdullahi Umar.

It was resolved by the participants that 2017 tomato policy had the potential to drive the produce if appropriate actions are taken with inclusive stakeholders review saying " the policy was said to have somersaulted due to weak implementation and lack of monitoring"

Stakeholders recommended the need for advocacy to resuscitate 2017 policy to drive tomato productivity through effective data to speak with concerned authorities just as the need to extablish a platform to address pest and disease especially tuta absoluta has become very necessary.