Adesiji77:
The previous government’s Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) aimed to reverse the decline. Policymakers believed that impediments to private investment had stymied the sector. Among the proposed reforms were steps to encourage increased production and processing of tomatoes. Four years after the launch of the ATA, not a single local or foreign company is processing fresh tomatoes in Nigeria.

The new government of President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office in May, has yet to define a new policy. When it comes to tomato paste, the prospect ofexploiting local production to create an efficient, fully Nigeria-­based supply chain is still so daunting that private sector players from Nigerian business magnates to multinationals ­ are wary of the substantial investments that would be required to even attempt such a feat.


http://businessdayonline.com/2015/12/havard-graduate-works-to-produce-tomato-paste-in-nigeria/

HelloBiafra:
Na today we begin hear this kind story?

By the time she go enter, no be person go tell am make e run comot naija.

HeavenShield:


Optimism Opens up our thinking faculties...When you believe, it will be possible..

TruthHurts1:
The name sounds Indian

Though Mehta has yet to test drive her supply chain, she has a ready market for her paste. Ram Mahadevan, head of packaged foods for Olam, seller of Tasty Tom and De Rica, two of the most popular brands in Nigeria, says he is ready “to buy every kilogramme of tomato paste” Tomato Jos can produce. Olam wants to support domestic supply and has suggested to the Buhari administration that it conduct a feasibility study into how to create and scale a proce to create and scale a processing industry.

cuteboy2:


The same Indian company, Olam who used to grow cotton in Nigeria under the Afcott banner, but soon closed down all their farms and resorted to whole scale importation of De Rica tin tomatoes, now wants to buy every drop of paste from this upstart by another Indian Mehta who has zero experience running business in Nigeria.

Meanwhile Eric Umeoffia of Erisco Foods that is already producing tons of tomato puree, Olams is silent on buying from them to stop their wasteful importation. Who is deceiving who?

Olam see cartons of Ric-Giko tomatoes here made in Nigeria. Stop this hypocrisy.

sonofananimal:
he say if you graduate from harvad university abroad, make you come Nigeria come do tomatoes farming. say you go make ya money big time.

come later say our government no dey give job again say guys have to shine eyes HUSTLE GET MONEY.

cuteboy2:
The Havard graduate is working or researching to produce, while Eric Odinaka Umeoffia of Erisco Foods Processing Limited, is already producing canned tomato puree.

Chief Umeoffia has donated truckloads to Nigerian Army formations in North East fighting Boko Haram, Internally Displaced Persons camp, buying up full pages of newspapers, and shouting himself hoarse that Nigeria should stop importation of tomato paste. But is anyone listening?

http://www.daylight.ng/erisco-foods-boss-eric-umeofias-large-heart/

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/the-tomato-king/217121/

http://leadership.ng/business/467892/cbn-policy-on-forex-revived-tomato-paste-industry-umeofia

Onegai:
Please read the links you provided. Erisco Foods is still importing tomato concentrate themselves. Whilst I commend him, he is not yet making tomato paste locally. Still, I'll definitely keep an eye out for news of his company and the minute he starts using locally grown tomato paste, I'll be one of his biggest supporters and even help him market for free. Thanks for at least telling us his name.

Lalaity:
Dude did you read the post

Goahead:
[size=90pt]To my Igbo brothers in the northern part of the country, please don't sleep and snore away like Buhari, at least for the next week.[/size]

Goahead:
[size=90pt]To my Igbo brothers in the northern part of the country, please don't sleep and snore away like Buhari, at least for the next week.[/size]

arabianights:
the idea of allowing foreigners to keep making off us and using our own resources i very pain ful. i can for sure state that some Nigerians must have presented this but were never given the opportunity either because no be oyinbo or no bribe was given or they simply felt they had nothing to offer

nnamdibig:
More of these will make Nigeria depending less on foreign goods. But $300,000 no be beans ooo

nnamdibig:
More of these will make Nigeria depending less on foreign goods. But $300,000 no be beans ooo

MrMcJay:


I can fully relate with the above post. In fact, when I saw this, my mind went back to the convo we had a few months ago. God help us all.

anonimi:


I think he should be supported EVEN at this phase as it is a (somewhat necessary) first step towards backward integration of the production process. The lessons learnt at this phase will be useful as he moves further into the local environment in the value chain.

I remember in the 70s to 80s vehicle manufacturing STARTED with complete CKDs (Component Knock Downs) to be assembled in Nigerian factories but slowly batteries, tyres chairs/seats were produced locally until clueless military regimes of Buhari & IBB in particular, opened the gates for imported tokunbos that KILLED our factories and made our youths so UNEMPLOYED that many risk crossing the desert and Mediterranean Sea to become voluntary slaves, UNDEREMPLOYED while forming diasporans to those "unfortunate" to remain in Nigeria.
The government:

- president
- senators
- representatives
- state governors
- state assembly lawmaker
- LGA Chairman
- LGA Councillor

needs to encourage these type of producer to go back on the value chain to local FARMERS by providing him and other entrepreneurs the INCENTIVES for doing so.
We should all understand the need to produce locally and the benefits therefrom.

arabianights:
the idea of allowing foreigners to keep making off us and using our own resources i very pain ful. i can for sure state that some Nigerians must have presented this but were never given the opportunity either because no be oyinbo or no bribe was given or they simply felt they had nothing to offer

mikolo80:
come on,stop crying crocodile tears. God will not help you, He cannot help you anymore than he has already (the land is green and fertile and plentiful, rain hr falling, sun hr shining)
you better enter farm and stop lamenting

arabianights:
the idea of allowing foreigners to keep making off us and using our own resources i very pain ful. i can for sure state that some Nigerians must have presented this but were never given the opportunity either because no be oyinbo or no bribe was given or they simply felt they had nothing to offer