‘Dried tomato business is boosting our income’

The community, known for its large scale farming of tomatoes, however, had to device means of preserving the perishable commodity locally for transportation to long distant markets.In the past, the market used to witness tomatoes glut due mainly to lack of preservation, making the commodity to be sold or processed locally and cheaply. Some of […]

The community, known for its large scale farming of tomatoes, however, had to device means of preserving the perishable commodity locally for transportation to long distant markets.
In the past, the market used to witness tomatoes glut due mainly to lack of preservation, making the commodity to be sold or processed locally and cheaply.
Some of the tomato farmers in the area that spoke to this reporter said about 15 years ago, they devised the means of picking the very soft, broken and about-to-rot tomato, slice and dry them and sell in markets as dried tomatoes.
A major tomato farmer and dealer in the area, Alhaji Muhammadu Abdullahi Danasabe, said they sell their product at Cinkuwa market which he observed was increasingly becoming an international market for both fresh and dried tomatoes as buyers comes from Niger and Benin republics to buy dried tomatoes from the market.
He said the dry tomato business is more profitable, giving the fact that dried tomatoes last longer period than fresh ones that perish easily, adding: “The damaged tomatoes that you use to throw away in those days are the same ones we slice and dry now. Tomatoes business is now an all-year-round business here.
“When it is the season for fresh tomatoes you will find us busy selling it all over. We are no more afraid of glut because when it is surplus, we slice the excess and dry. When the rainy season is about to set in, that is when fresh tomato is scarce. At that time, we start selling the dried ones.
“At the peak of the time we are selling dried tomatoes, you will find on a normal market day, 8 or more trucks and 30 buses loaded with bags and baskets of dried tomatoes leaving this market to various destinations within and outside the country.”
Another tomato dealer in the area, Malam Yusha’u Zubairu, said though the idea of preserving tomatoes started with the slicing and drying broken and very soft tomatoes.
“We now slice even fresh tomatoes and dry because the dried ones fetch more money than the fresh ones.
“Women prefer to cook dried tomatoes than the fresh ones. Most women that come around to buy dried tomato directly from us say stew cooked with dried tomato is always ticker than the one cooked with fresh one. Dried tomato is increasingly gaining acceptability in the markets.”
A food vendor, Hauwa Musa, said she used to buy dried tomatoes from the farmers because is cheaper, adding: “At the time of scarcity, all I need do is to take the quantity I want to use that day and soak in hot water to be soft before blending.”
A truck driver that said he has been in the business of transporting perishable items including tomatoes to various markets within Nigeria, Kasimu Direba, said dried tomatoes are safer and easier to transport, adding: “When you are conveying fresh tomatoes to a long distance, you must quarrel with the owner. He wouldn’t want you to even stop and refuel. He will be complaining that the tomatoes will get rot.
“You will not hear such complaints when you are conveying dried tomatoes. Even in the case of accident on the way, you can repackage dried tomatoes and deliver to destination unlike the fresh ones. Drivers prefer conveying dried tomato because we are sure of our payment. When you carry fresh ones and they get rotten on the way, you may end up forfeiting your payment.”
Malam Hudu, a tomato trader in the market, told our reporter that a bag of 100 kilogrammes of light red dried tomato sells for N10, 000 while the deep red of the same size goes for N13, 000.
Alhaji Danasabe said a Zamfara based company interested in tomato visited them recently and discussed with the leadership of the farmers’ union in the area with a view to entering into an agreement for the bulk purchase of the commodity.
It was noted that most women and youth in the area are into production of baskets used in packaging tomato while most of the men are engaged in tomato farming and dry tomato business.