Tomato growers across Nigeria have consistently battled severe post-harvest storage challenges, exacerbated by a lack of cold chain infrastructure. These issues often result in losses of 50 percent or more, particularly impacting farmers who secured loans for dry season cultivation and subsequently face price collapses due to market gluts.
Key problems contributing to this crisis include insufficient cold storage, poor transportation networks, the inherent perishability of tomatoes with a shelf life of only 2-3 weeks, and the persistent threat of pests like Tuta. Recent reports indicate that five months of diligent cultivation by farmers have been rendered worthless in just 48 hours.
In Alau and other farming communities in Borno State, large volumes of tomatoes, from the farms to the markets, are perishing. This distressing situation is currently affecting thousands of farmers in the region.
The affected farmers have appealed to the government for urgent intervention, specifically requesting the establishment of tomato processing industries to mitigate post-harvest losses and provide much-needed support.
Correspondents touring irrigation farms in Alau, Maiduguri, and Jere observed the significant distress caused by this situation, leaving a majority of the farmers in a state of despair.
Farmers in Alau have reported substantial losses due to the high cost of transportation. Meanwhile, those within Maiduguri town are struggling to find buyers or secure a reasonable minimum price for their produce, which is currently flooding local and regional markets.
Interviews with numerous farmers revealed that despite achieving bountiful yields, they grapple with the recurring problems of inadequate or non-existent storage and preservation facilities, leading to widespread waste.
These farmers typically plant seeds in early October, cultivating their crops for four to five months until the fruits are ready for harvest in January. However, a substantial portion of these harvested tomatoes goes to waste due to the deficiencies in the storage and preservation supply chain.
Malam Ardo Modu, a tomato farmer in Alau, described harvesting a significant yield thanks to quality seeds and fertilizer. However, he now faces the difficult choice of letting the tomatoes rot or discarding the majority of his harvest into the dam due to a lack of buyers.
"Sometimes we are left with no choice but to dispose of the tomatoes, because they get rotten and smell. This is what we have suffered for many years.
"I harvest 30 baskets of tomatoes daily, compared to what I invested in the farm, the loss is unimaginable," he explained.
Modu, who has engaged in dry season farming for four decades, mentioned that prior to the floods caused by the Alau dam collapse, he managed six vegetable farms. While acknowledging that each season presents its difficulties, he stated that the current situation is the worst they have experienced, with minimal profit margins and prohibitively expensive farm inputs, citing fertilizer costing N70,000 per bag.
He lamented, "Yesterday, I dumped the tomato I took to Gambarou market in the river because people refused to buy or even take it on credit. Whatever I sold could not cover the transportation cost."
In his distressed state, Modu implored the state and federal governments to establish modern industries capable of preserving surplus tomatoes and other perishable vegetables.
"We want a tomato processing company to stop the waste. We also want affordable fertilisers. If the price drops from N70,000 to N25,000 it’ll be good as we farm rice, cassava, potatoes and other different crops here," he stated.
Modu and his fellow farmers expressed hope that their appeals will be heard by the relevant authorities, assuring that dry season farming remains a vital sector poised to bolster the economy.
Alaramma Zarami, another tomato farmer, noted that despite government encouragement to return to farming, the rise in food importation has led to significant losses for local producers.
He remarked, "Instead of supporting us locally, the borders have been opened for food importation and we the real farmers are the ones losing.
"Can and powdered tomato, pepper and even onions are being imported into the country, while our produce rots away in farms. We don’t have the capacity to establish the processing industry and the government is not helping us to build them.
"We also want their intervention in terms of inputs, such as improved seeds, insecticides and water pumping machines to improve production," he added.
Muhammad Kudu, a farmer, shared that after four months of cultivating tomatoes, he could not find buyers for his harvest.
"When we harvest and we don’t make sales, we quickly dry it before it gets rotten. Then we sell again as dried tomato to consumers.
"Tomato farming is tedious and can become waste, so only those who are buoyant can sustain the farming because you have to buy fuel for the water pump machine, fertilisers and insecticides."
Kudu expressed disappointment, having spoken to numerous journalists in the past without seeing any government intervention.
"The State Government announced repeatedly that they were supporting farmers but I have never seen any of their intervention in my forty years in this occupation.
"I used my resources to grow the tomatoes but have nowhere to sell them now. We either dry it in two days or it gets rotten.
"Even whole-sellers coming from other parts of the States have stopped coming, because of the massive production of tomatoes this season. There is no opportunity to sell the produce locally.
"We invested a lot from this farm; fuel, seeds, labor, insecticides and fertilizer. Some of us have to repay the loans taken to grow these vegetables," he said.
He urged the government to dispatch a delegation to the fields to assess the situation and provide timely interventions.
"If the government can support a tomato processing factory, it’ll encourage us to boost our produce. We’re ready to work. We’re farmers, it’s what we do," he stated.
Magaji Zakari, an agriculturalist and lecturer, explained that many farmers resort to discarding their produce due to overproduction.
"Since the price of grains crashed, many farmers resorted to cultivating tomato and other vegetables which resulted in the market becoming flooded, leading to the price collapse," he noted.
He added that the harvested tomatoes have become such a burden that it is more economical to discard them than to transport them back from the market.
Zakari also highlighted the critical absence of local processing facilities and functional cooling systems to store excess produce, which continues to hinder farmers' efforts and profit margins if not addressed seriously by the authorities.
The tropical and humid climate of Maiduguri also contributes to the rapid decay of vegetables, he observed.
"It’s been established that, without proper storage, tomato go bad within 48 hours under a tropical and humid condition in places like Maiduguri," he confirmed.
Responding to these concerns, the Borno State Commissioner of Agriculture, Bawu Musami, stated that the state government has procured and installed a modular tomato processing plant to address these issues.
"We finished installation not more than two to three months ago at the industrial park. We now have two, the one that was installed initially is the commercial type which requires a high volume of tomato in order for it to work well."
He further explained that for large-scale operations, partnerships with private companies are necessary, particularly through the special agro- processing zone initiative. "It’ll start working effectively if they fully key into the START 2 project."
Musami acknowledged that studies indicate a 30 percent loss of produce due to poor post-harvest storage and handling, admitting a gap exists between the ministry's efforts and farmers' needs regarding value addition for harvested produce.
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