The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in conjunction with the National Horticulture Research Institute (NIHORT), has trained 400 youths and women on tomato and pepper production and value addition in Lere Federal Constituency, Kaduna.
The Executive Director of NIHORT, Dr. Attanda Mohammed Lawal, said the training would boost the federal government’s efforts to promote food security and wealth creation through a focus on agriculture as a veritable means of diversifying Nigeria’s economy.
Lawal, represented by the General Manager, Horticonsultancy Ventures Limited, NIHORT, and training coordinator, Dr. Joel Akindele Akinfasoye, pointed out that tomatoes and peppers are commercially viable as money-spinners for those who understand the value chain.
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He urged the beneficiaries to make best use of the knowledge and skills acquired in the training, while noting that to maximize the potential of the commodities, capacity building and stakeholder engagement are crucial, among other efforts, to scale up the cultivation and processing of the crops.
“Tomatoes and peppers serve as industrial raw materials for the canning industry for making paste, ketchup or sauce, puree, juice, dry slices, powder, and whole-peeled tomatoes. It is a low-capital agribusiness,” Lawal stated.
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The training covered nursery practices, transplanting techniques, field establishment and management, control of Tuta absoluta disease, harvesting techniques, value addition, the economics of tomato and pepper production, the economics of tomato and pepper value addition, as well as record-keeping in agribusiness.
The training is targeted at building the capacity of youth and women in tomato and pepper production as well as value addition for creating wealth and generating means of sustainable livelihood.
Two of the participants, Mallam Jaafaru Iliyasu and Hadjia Baraka Amunu, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and NIHORT, adding that the skills acquired during the training would help them start their own tomato and pepper production.
