Minister of State for Industries, Trade and Investment and the Supervising Minister, Women Affairs, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, has praised the Tomato Association of Nigeria (TAN) for reducing losses from 40 to 10 percent. Just before that, its president, Abdullahi Ringim, said they imported 240 tonnes of the product, worth $150 million.
Abubakar, who chaired the meeting comprising stakeholders from various tomato companies including Erisco Foods Limited, Dangote Tomato Factory, Savanah International Farming Limited, among others, stressed the need to improve production and to meet the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) with a view to addressing the problem of smuggling across the borders.
The TAN President, who is also the Managing Director of Savannah International Farming Limited, told the Minister that their losses have been reduced from 40 percent to 10 percent, but listed challenges in the delivery of the product from one city to another.
General Manager, Erisco Foods Limited, Mr. Tokunbo Agbede, lamented that cheaper tomato products of better quality, most times, find their way into the Nigerian market.
Source: today.ng
