Why Dried Tomato Price Continues To Rise In Katsina
The Netherlands and IITA are joining forces to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in agribusiness, aiming for sustainable food production and job creation. Dutch Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen and Ambassador Wouter Plomp toured Golden Finger Farms and Ranches, inaugurating a new training hall for the Youth in Agribusiness (YAS) project by IITA. This initiative targets Nigerian youths aged 18–35, with potential ripple effects benefiting 40,000 others. Source: Daily Trust
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Dealers are capitalizing on the seasonal scarcity of fresh tomatoes by stockpiling dried produce for release during periods of low availability, such as Ramadan and Salah. The surge in demand during these festivities could potentially drive prices even higher, with a bag of dried tomatoes already fetching N45,000. Sun-drying tomatoes, initially a solution to prevent oversupply losses, has now become a prevalent practice in the tomato value chain. However, factors like population growth, rising production costs, and water shortages are contributing to the decline in fresh tomato volume, impacting farmers like Malam Muhammad Kokami.
Despite the lucrative market for fresh tomatoes, some farmers are switching crops due to production costs. Meanwhile, the absence of modern storage and drying facilities poses challenges for both producers and dealers. Kabiru Abubakar, an agricultural entrepreneur, highlights the persistent lack of investment in these facilities despite promises from both the government and the private sector. There’s a pressing need for intervention to upgrade storage and drying systems, especially in major tomato-producing regions.
