Poor Seedlings, Low Production Hampering Nigeria’s Tomato Export –Agric Minister

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Abubakar, has said Nigeria is currently missing out among tomato exporting nations, despite being rated one of the leading producers of tomatoes in Africa. Speaking at the launch of the HortiNigeria Project in Abuja, Abubakar attributed the development to the challenge of low yields, resulting from the poor seed type used by Nigerian farmers. According to the Minister, Nigeria’s various ecologies, soil and climatic conditions are suitable for the production of horticultural crops. “The Nigerian climate confers an immense competitive advantage and potential to have a leading role in tomato production and trade,” Abubakar said. He explained that the government was looking forward to increased productivity in the sector, noting that the HortiNigeria initiative presents an opportunity to promote activities of the horticulture sub-sector. The minister explained that the project is expected to facilitate business to business linkage and partnership, as it seeks to empower over 60,000 smallholder farmers across the country. The project awarded to International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC) and its consortium partners East-West seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT), Wageningen University and Research (WUR), and KIT Royal Tropical Institute is implemented in Kano, Kaduna, Ogun and the Oyo States, focusing on tomato, okra, onion, and pepper value chains. Remarking, the Dutch Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry van Dijk, said the horticulture sector in Nigeria offers many opportunities as local market demand for vegetables exceeds local production, with an estimated supply gap of 13 million metric tons. He noted that the project will contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive horticulture system in Nigeria, which would lead to better availability and affordability of nutritious foods. “The focus is on vegetables for domestic markets, and the program has four components which are interconnected. The first component strives towards increasing the productivity and incomes of 60,000 smallholder farmers in Kano and Kaduna: in an environmentally sustainable way. “The second component, pilots production systems innovations, in Ogun and Oyo states: supporting greenhouse technologies and offering connections to Lagos markets. “The third component focuses on increasing access to finance throughout vegetable value chains: mobilising EUR 6 million of private capital for farmers, traders, processors and SMEs, while the fourth component enhances sector coordination and business-to-business linkages: contributing to improvements in federal and state horticultural policies,” he added. Share this:

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