President Bola Tinubu's efforts to strengthen Nigeria's "Made in Nigeria" tomato brand face challenges as government agencies continue to favour foreign producers.

This situation has triggered concerns among local producers, who lament the dwindling support for their products, ultimately jeopardizing the industry's viability.

Although the Federal Government, through the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has imposed a ban on tomato paste imports, evidence suggests that foreign products continue to flood the Nigerian market.

These unauthorized imports undermine local producers, harm the economy, and pose potential health risks to consumers.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local producers expressed dismay, saying, "Despite the goodwill and support Nigerian consumers have shown to local producers, foreign tomato paste importers and their associates are actively working to tarnish our integrity and credibility."

A Facebook post by Chioma Egodi, an alleged agent of one of the banned tomato paste importers, accused a Nigerian tomato paste producer of manufacturing products harmful to Nigerians. This post has gained significant attention and threatens to erode consumer trust in the "Made In Nigeria" brand.

However, the company's management released a statement refuting these allegations and urged consumers to disregard the post, emphasising the importance of fact-checking before believing online information.

"In this competitive landscape, the battle between local and imported products intensifies, potentially leading to the spread of false information to discredit local offerings," he added.