By Suleman Shehu
The National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), has trained 104 farmers in Oyo town on production and processing of hortitom1, hortitom2 and hortitom3 tomato varieties.
These varieties are high yielding, resistant to fusarium wilt and root-knot nematode, rich in nutrients, have long shelf life and are well-suited to all agro-ecological zones across the country.
The training which took place on Wednesday, at JDPM Hall, Mabolaje Area, Oyo, Oyo State, engaged stakeholders in tomato value chain, including men, women, and youth from Oyo town, Oyo State.
A team of experienced NIHORT scientists and technologists guided participants through both theoretical and practical sessions covering key aspects of tomato production.
The training included principles and practices of tomato cultivation, pest and disease management, value addition, economics of production, record keeping, and marketing strategies.
The training is designed to build capacity of youth, men, and women by enhancing their capacity in tomato production and value addition. It aims to promote food security, generate wealth, and create sustainable livelihoods through improved skills and knowledge in the tomato value chain.
The Executive Director of NIHORT, Prof. Mohammed Lawal Attanda, represented by the Head of Department, Farming Systems and Extension, Dr. Iyabo Adeoye said the training would boost the Federal Government’s efforts on agriculture.
Attanda said that it would also improve tomato production and processing in the country and reduce post-harvest losses in the tomato value chain,thereby improving food security and farmer incomes.
According to him, tomato is one of the most important and major vegetable grown in Nigeria, an essential cooking ingredient and a valuable raw material in processed products such as juice, puree, paste, ketchup/sauce, dry slices and powder.
"It is a profitable horticultural crop that provides income to farmers and agents involved in its input supply, production, processing and marketing," he said.
The executive director further said, to ensure sustainability of tomato value chain, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement especially on new innovations and technologies such as the new tomato varieties is vital to scale up the production and processing of the crop.
Attanda implored participants to pay critical attention to all sessions of the training and urged them to make best use of the knowledge and skills acquired in the training.
The Head, Justice Development and Peace Movement represented by the Head of Department Rural Development, Mr. Anthony Ogunnupebi, Director of Agriculture, Oyo East Local Government Area, Mr. Ojo Anthony Oyedele, Smallholder Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria, Oyo branch represented by Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oyedeji, the coordinator of Willow widows Dr. Benedicta Salami and Chairman of Farmsfield farmers association, Mr Sarafadeen Araoye commended the Federal Government for the initiatives and emphasized that the efforts will go a long way in improving tomato production and processing in the area.
The participants expressed gratitude to the Federal Government, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and NIHORT, adding that the knowledge gained through the training would help them in their production practices and processing and this would go a long way in ensuring adequate tomato supply in the country.
Certificate of Participation, Training manual as well as seeds of HORTITOM1, HORTITOM2 and HORTITOM3 tomato varieties were distributed to the participants.
This is another NIHORT’s public engagement in furtherance of its mandate, and in support of the Federal Government’s renewed hope policy on food security and employment generation.
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