Nigeria's 60% tomato losses spotting chances

Added on 02 August 2023

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Nigeria's 60% tomato losses spotting chances

Nigeria’s 60 percent tomato post-harvest losses as a result of poor storage facilities and cold chain infrastructures across the country constitute an investment opportunity for investors, experts say.

The experts say adopting greenhouse technology made of bamboo and thick trees instead of the regular aluminum panels and developing automated storage facilities will unlock opportunities in the tomato value chain.

According to them, other solutions such as the manufacturing of plastic crates to transport fresh produce to the markets and investing in small modular processing machines to crush fresh tomato and pepper into pastes right inside farming clusters can also be explored by investors.

“Greenhouse farming using bamboo and thick sticks, which is everywhere in the country, is sustainable for tomato production instead of aluminum panels that are more expensive,” says AfricanFarmer Mogaji, chief executive officer at X-Ray Consulting. “It is very hot in the north and using aluminum for tomato farming absorbs the heat which spoils the tomatoes.”

He said the country can bridge its tomato shortfall and cultivate the vegetable all year round using greenhouse technology. “Countries like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica who are heavy users of bamboo and sticks for greenhouse farming grow their vegetables all year round.”