Chief Executive Officer, Erisco Foods Lagos, Eric Umeofia told
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that heat wave
caused by the effects of climate change had destroyed tomato farms
belonging to processors in the northern parts of the country.
Umeofia appealed to Federal Government
to assist tomato processors with foreign exchange for the importation of
heat-resistant tomato seedlings.
According to him, processors need
foreign exchange for the procurement of the seedlings and other tools,
to sustain the country’s sufficiency in local production of tomato
paste.
“Reduced access to fresh tomatoes has
affected our production capacity, as we are presently producing below
capacity. We need forex to import heat-resistant seedlings and treatment
tools to continue production. Access to foreign exchange will mitigate
the reoccurrence and reduce the influx of imported, substandard tomato
paste into the country,” he said.
NAN recalls that the Dangote Tomato
Processing Factory in Kadawa, Kano State, has suspended production due
to lack of access to fresh tomatoes for production. Click here if you missed it.
The company said pests had destroyed its tomato farms in the northern parts of the country.
Photo Credit: NAN-PHOTO
No comments:
Post a Comment