The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) says Nigeria spends more than $400 million each year importing tomato paste, despite ranking among the world’s leading producers of fresh tomatoes.

The council’s North-West Regional Coordinator, Hajia Amina Abdulmalik, disclosed this on Thursday at a technical workshop on tomato value chain development for export, held in Kano under the One State One Product (OSOP) initiative.

Abdulmalik, who was represented by the NEPC Head of Product and Marketing Development in Kano, Lubabatu Kabir Bello, said Nigeria’s strong production base has yet to translate into export earnings.

She noted that post-harvest losses remain between 40 and 50 per cent annually, while the country’s share of the global processed tomato market remains negligible.

She attributed the gap to quality deficiencies, limited processing capacity, and weak compliance with international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.

“The global processed tomato market is valued at over $12 billion annually, yet Nigeria spends more than $400 million yearly importing tomato paste. This is an opportunity we must reclaim. With the right quality and consistency, Kano can supply both domestic industries and export markets,” she said.

Abdulmalik explained that the workshop aims to improve production practices, reduce pesticide residues, promote low-cost post-harvest technologies, and ensure compliance with packaging and labelling standards required in export markets.

“Our goal is to move the Kano tomato from losses to value. When farmers earn more, Nigeria earns more,” she added.

She urged participants to treat the workshop as a practical “business clinic” by engaging facilitators and adopting actionable strategies.

“Your commitment to quality will determine whether ‘Kano Tomato’ becomes a premium brand on the international shelf,” she said.

Earlier, a Senior Research Officer at the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Kano Zonal Office, Adamu Ahmad Abubakar, highlighted key post-harvest challenges facing farmers.

He identified poor road infrastructure, weak processing methods, lack of cold-chain storage, and limited access to finance as major drivers of tomato losses.

“Ideally, processing plants should be located close to farms, and farmers should be supported with incentives to reduce losses,” he said.

Abubakar added that weak collaboration among farmers, cooperatives, and government agencies continues to undermine food security and safety.

“Farmers need technical capacity to turn fresh tomatoes into value-added products like paste, jam, or ketchup. Without this, bumper harvests often end in waste,” he said.

The workshop drew participants from farmers’ cooperatives, processing firms, exporters, input suppliers, financial institutions, and regulatory agencies, with a shared goal of building a competitive tomato export value chain in Kano State. (Daily Trust)