Dangote Calls for a Complete Ban on Importation of Tomato Paste

Dangote Tomato Processing company has called on the Federal Government to put a complete ban on importation of tomato paste into the country.

Abdulkarim Kaita, the Managing Director, Dangote Tomato Processing Plant situated in Kadawa, Kano State, made the call while flagging off the distribution of tomato seedlings to 5,000 farmers under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers programme.

Kaita, who said the company was working with the CBN to provide tomato farmers with high yield seeds that would allow them to produce a minimum of 40 tons per hectare, said “We are appealing to the Federal Government to put a total ban on the importation of tomato like what it did to rice.”

Kaita said the call was important to deepen local production of tomato and ensure the country was self-sufficient in tomato production.

Speaking further, he said a complete ban of tomato past importation would lead to more investment in the industry and foster growth of processing plants, a move that would increase job creation opportunities for many people in the country.

“It is only by putting a total ban on tomato importation that the government can encourage farmers to grow the commodity for the country to be self-sufficient,” he said.

He added that “There are 12 major tomato producing states in the country which if fully cultivated, in the next one year Nigeria will be able to start exporting tomato.”