Kano State government has inaugurated Innovation Platform of Tomato Production with the tomato farmers for proper facilitation between Dangote Tomato Processing company and the farmers towards sustaining business relationship.
This was disclosed by the State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, in a chat with The Guardian said farmers are getting good bargain for the produce.
“The price you normally get for tomatoes in the market is between N200 and N400, but Dangote buys one basket between N1200 to N1400, which is very encouraging, “ he disclosed.
The fear that farmers entertained about their tomatoes after harvest, due to lack of good storage system has been put behind them with the test run.
“Looking at the differential prices between the market price and that of Dangote, we know that there is going to be a time when this price will come down. That is why we have come in to moderate to maintain the relationship, “ Gawuna counseled.
For the commissioner, when the price comes down, the committee would sit with Dangote and vice-versa.
The commissioner confirmed that states other than Kano had started indicating interest by registering with Dangote to bring in tomatoes from Katsina and Jigawa states, among others.
“When the company becomes fully operational the tomatoes produced in Kano cannot be enough for the company. It has to come from other places, even from Southern part of the country, “ he assured.
To further show the satisfaction of tomato farmers, he attested that, so far, nobody was experiencing default in payment from Dangote as farmers collect payment on time.