The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has revealed that Nigeria spends over $400 million annually importing tomato paste despite being one of the world’s largest producers of fresh tomatoes. The Northwest Regional Coordinator of the council, Haj. Amina Abdulmalik, disclosed this at a technical workshop on tomato value chain development for export, organised under the One-State-One-Product (OSOP) initiative in Kano on Thursday.
She lamented that the country’s comparative advantage in tomato production has not translated into export earnings. Represented by the NEPC Head of Product and Marketing Development in Kano, Lubabatu Kabir Bello, the coordinator explained that post-harvest losses remain as high as 40–50 per cent annually, while Nigeria’s participation in the global processed tomato market is minimal. She attributed this to quality gaps, inadequate processing capacity, and weak compliance with international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
“The global processed tomato market is valued at over $12 billion annually, yet Nigeria spends more than $400 million yearly importing tomato paste. “This is an opportunity we must reclaim. With the right quality and consistency, Kano can supply both domestic industries and export markets,” she stressed. She said the workshop is aimed at improving production practices to reduce pesticide residues, adopting low-cost post-harvest technologies, meeting standards for paste and dried tomato, and ensuring packaging and labelling comply with destination market regulations.