By Abdullahi Lukman
Nigeria spends over $400 million annually importing tomato paste even though it ranks among the world’s leading producers of fresh tomatoes, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has revealed.
The disclosure was made by the council’s North-West Regional Coordinator, Hajia Amina Abdulmalik, at a technical workshop on tomato value chain development held in Kano under the One State One Product (OSOP) initiative.
Represented by Lubabatu Kabir Bello, she said the country’s strong production levels have not translated into meaningful export earnings.
She explained that Nigeria continues to record post-harvest losses of between 40 and 50 percent each year, while its presence in the global processed tomato market remains insignificant.
According to her, the situation is driven by poor product quality, inadequate processing capacity, and weak adherence to international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
Abdulmalik noted that the global processed tomato market exceeds $12 billion annually, describing Nigeria’s continued reliance on imports as a missed economic opportunity. She added that Kano State could meet both local and international demand if improvements are made in quality and consistency.
She said the workshop was organised to address these challenges by promoting better farming practices, reducing pesticide residues, introducing affordable post-harvest technologies, and ensuring compliance with export packaging and labelling requirements.
Abdulmalik urged participants to apply practical knowledge gained from the session, stressing that improved standards could position Kano tomatoes as a competitive brand in international markets while boosting farmers’ incomes.
Also speaking, Adamu Ahmad Abubakar, a Senior Research Officer at the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), identified poor road networks, inefficient processing techniques, lack of cold storage systems, and limited financing as key contributors to post-harvest losses.
He recommended locating processing facilities closer to farming communities and providing incentives to farmers to minimise waste. He further noted that weak collaboration among stakeholders continues to affect food safety and security.
Participants at the workshop included farmers’ groups, processors, exporters, input suppliers, financial institutions, and regulatory agencies, all focused on strengthening Kano State’s tomato value chain for improved export competitiveness.