STM Article Repository

The study was carried out to appraise tomato value chain in order to promote the development of
tomato production and processing industry in Nigeria. Currently in Nigeria, about 1.8 Million tonnes of
fresh tomato are produced per year, but over 50% of these are lost due to poor storage system, poor
transportation and lack of processing enterprises. This makes it important to develop strategies for the
development of tomato value chain. The method employed in this study includes semi-structured
informal interviews with key value chain actors such as producers, intermediate traders, retailers and
input suppliers and a critical review of available literature. The study revealed that there are good
varieties of tomatoes in Nigeria, but only a few are suitable for industrial processing with regard to
quantity and quality. The research also revealed that Nigeria is still not a major exporter of either fresh
or processed tomato products despite the high production of fresh tomatoes. This was found to be
due to inadequate supply of good quality seeds, inadequate storage facilities, poor disease and pest
management, and poor processing facilities. The development of tomato for industrial use is currently
gaining momentum, in the area of production of tomato juice, paste, ketchup, puree, and powder.
Strategies identified to overcome the challenges include: policy shift to encourage Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) as well as Industries along the value chain; improved input supplies; organisation
of farmers into cooperatives so as to initiate innovative funding mechanism for them; establishment of
clusters for processors; improvement in marketing strategies including guaranteed price for fresh
tomato products; adjustment in tariff regime to favour local manufacturers including outright ban on
importation of processed tomato products; increased investments in Research and Development
(R&D) to produce improved seed varieties and develop technologies for storage and processing;
adoption of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) by farmers and a strong National Commodity
Association or Network.