By Ngozi Nwatu
National Tomato Growers, Processors, and Marketers Association of Nigeria ,NATPAN, has urged the federal government to intervene in curbing post-harvest losses in the tomato sector.
The Chairman of NATPAN’s Kaduna State chapter, Mr. Rabiu Zuntu, made this appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
Zuntu emphasized that government intervention is crucial for reducing post-harvest losses in the tomato sector.
He explained that providing farmers with the appropriate equipment and facilities would significantly minimize these losses. This, in turn, would enhance value addition and promote the sector’s growth.
“Most farmers are smallholders and cannot afford loans to purchase the equipment needed to reduce post-harvest losses”, Zuntu said.
He highlighted that one effective solution is the increased use of plastic crates for transporting tomatoes.
“One way to reduce post-harvest losses in tomato cultivation is by using plastic crates for transporting produce from the farm to the market, especially when moving tomatoes from the north to other parts of the country”, he noted.
“With plastic crates, the rate of post-harvest losses during transportation across Nigeria will be significantly reduced”, the chairman added.
Zuntu shared that the association has entered into various partnerships to help smallholder tomato farmers reduce their losses through mechanization.
“As an association, we are working with both existing and new processing facilities to cut down post-harvest losses and increase the income of our farmers”, he said.
He explained that with the introduction of tomato processing machines, even the glut typically witnessed between January and February each year would be considerably reduced.
“The use of local tomato processors is one of the cleanest methods for drying tomatoes, adding value, and boosting both farmers’ income and the growth of the sector”, Zuntu added.
Zuntu also mentioned that some non-governmental organizations have introduced solar dryers for tomato preservation.
“Farmers have shown interest in solar dryers, and we are set to adopt this method. However, despite their potential benefits, the high cost of the dryers means some farmers cannot afford them”.
To address this challenge, Zuntu stated that the association is organizing farmers into clusters to help them pool resources and afford solar dryers, ultimately reducing post-harvest losses.
He stressed the urgent need for government intervention to further support these initiatives and ensure the sustainability of the sector.
