AN indigenous farm facility development and management company, Vegefresh Company Limited has bemoaned the neglect of tomato industry, urging government to boost tomato production and processing in Nigeria.The firm, which entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with National Institute of Horticultural Research (NIHORT) recently to enhance tomato production argued that the absence of effective public-private partnership and neglect of agriculture in government policy formulation had undermined the potential of the tomato industry as well as the entire agricultural sector.Speaking at the occasion, Head, Project Planning ' Vegefresh Company Limited, Mr. Olumide Ojo who explained that one of the sub-sectors where Nigeria had comparative advantages was the tomato industry added that Nigeria was rated the second largest producer of tomato in Africa and 13th largest in the world.'Regrettably however, more than 50 per cent of harvested tomatoes are lost to post-harvest spoilage due mainly to lack of value chain capacities of processing and packaging. The attendant effects are further impoverishing of tomato farmers, low productivity, low economic contribution, continual discouragement of interested investors and capital flight through importation of tomato products,' Ojo said.According to him, Nigeria's agriculture had suffered tremendous neglect due mainly to lack of coordinated synergies between stakeholders in the industry, especially in institutionalising platforms for value chain system that could drive agricultural development.He noted that Vegefresh Company was championing a renewed drive at revolutionising agriculture through the establishment of value chain systems in Nigeria pointing out that the motive of the company was to fully industrialise the sector through the introduction of contemporary farming models and processing technologies.He added that that would help propel the sector to create massive employment opportunities, significant contribution to national GDP and attainment of food security.He said that NIHORT was the considered technical partner in the project of turning around the lot of tomato production in Nigeria because the institute remained a strategic organisation in the field of horticultural research in the world, having successfully carried out several landmark research works on better approaches to the production and processing of fruits, vegetables, ornamental crops amongst others.Ojo added that NIHORT was endowed with faculties of world-renowned researchers who had contributed in no small measure to the development of horticulture and allied industry the world over.'Vegefresh shall be working with interested and relevant stakeholders to achieve its objectives by forging sustainable partnership that clearly defines roles and responsibilities through robust consultation and mutual knowledge sharing.
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