Dangote Tomato Company begins test production, offers higher prices for farmers

The 1,200 metric tons per day Dangote tomato processing company has started test production. Disclosing this to newsmen in Kano, Managing Director, Dangote Tomato Company, Abdulkareem Kaita, said the test production followed years of preparation for the take-off of the company. Kaita added that farmers are cooperating in prompt delivery of their tomatoes to the […]

The 1,200 metric tons per day Dangote tomato processing company has started test production.
Disclosing this to newsmen in Kano, Managing Director, Dangote Tomato Company, Abdulkareem Kaita, said the test production followed years of preparation for the take-off of the company.
Kaita added that farmers are cooperating in prompt delivery of their tomatoes to the company for processing.
Meanwhile, Farmers dealing with the company have revealed that the company has started offering them 300% higher price per basket of tomato barely two weeks of the company’s commencement of its test production.
The farmers, who brought their tomatoes to the factory, stated that, at the first day, the company bought their product at N1200 to N1500 per basket depending on the size, while the price of the basket in the market was at N350.
One of the farmers, Malam Abdu Kadawa, said the company bought virtually all kinds of tomatoes without specification and that has made many people to abandon the market for the factory.
Another farmer, Malam Hudu Garun Malam, said farmers prefer to wait for the factory even when the factory experienced some technical problems.
“Even though the company had experienced some technical problem and they have not taken tomato from us for two days, we prepare to wait here with our goods because you won’t get the price being offered here elsewhere. To us, this is a good omen and we hope that the factory will continue with its present status in terms of the price,” he hoped.
Managing Director Dangote Tomato Company, Abdulkareem Kaita, said the company is offering N20, 000 per ton of tomato and that since the commencement of the test production, the company was able to processed  500tons. He added that the company will commence full capacity production after accessing the test production in a short period of time.