A herd of women farmers in Kaduna and Bauchi states are helping each other to create wealth and reduce post-harvest tomato losses. They are fighting poverty by growing and locally preserving tomatoes. CHIMA NWOKOJI in this report engages them on their methods, motivation and success stories that can inspire more entrepreneurs.
The saying that great things are from small beginnings describes Mrs Ogola Lois Kange’s enterprise. She is a Kaduna-based woman that started her restaurant business like any other small business owner. Today, Smiley’z Mobile Kitchen (SMK) Limited, her brain child, has grown to become a food processing company. Lois Kange resides in Kamazou area of Kaduna State.
During harvest, Kange pays less to buy tomatoes she uses in her meals. Not too long, she discovered that tomatoes cost nearly five times more in times of scarcity. In her wisdom, she began to buy more tomatoes during glut and devised a local means of preserving the product to save cost. She nurtured this practice until it metamorphosed into a mini tomato processing plant. Then she created a mentoring arm for smallholder farmers who became major suppliers that fed the mini plant.
Kange’s efforts have led to a major reduction in post-harvest tomato losses in Chika Local Government Area of Kaduna State. She said that her signature product, ‘Smiley’z fresh tomato paste,’ is 100 percent tomatoes with no additives or preservatives and has a one year shelf life.
As her small business grows into a medium sized enterprise, it is being recognised outside Kaduna. Kange has acquired a lot of experience in this trade and enjoys passing the knowledge to others. She says the 12 hours she puts into her tomato business and another 24 hours after processing before packaging is worth the effort.
The landscape
According to several sources of production data, such as Proshare Research Nigeria and the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Nigeria produces about 2.3 million tonnes of tomatoes yearly. But demand for direct consumption and industrial processing hovers at around 3.0 million tonnes.
Nigeria is the 14th largest producer of tomatoes in the world, second in Africa and accounts for about 65 per cent of all tomatoes that are produced in West Africa. Despite these facts, Nigeria imports an average of 150,000 tonnes of tomato paste concentrate annually, valued at about $170 million.
This places the country as the 13th largest importer of tomato paste in the world and the third largest importer in Africa.
Driving around states in northern Nigeria during certain times of the year, one observes piles and piles of tomatoes that the farmers could not sell. Some are given out to strangers while a bulk of the produce is allowed to rot away.
According to Kange, during the harvest season (dry season). Tomatoes can range between N3500 and N8500 ($8-$18) for a 50kg basket in the area but will go up to N30,000 ($65) or more when it is scarce.
Another challenge to the farmers is security.
“Farmers are not able to farm on the large distant farmlands because of the activities of kidnappers and bandits.
“They now mostly utilise the farm lands that are closer to town. It is difficult for them as they are constantly living in fear and threats of attacks. It is really sad and they have only continued because this is their way of life and they have no alternatives. The government needs to look into the problem of insecurity,” she lamented.
Women helping women
Following Kange’s steps, rural women in some states in the north, especially Kaduna and Bauchi, are helping each other to convert these challenges in the tomato value chain into opportunities through self-help, entrepreneurship and indigenous expertise.
Mrs Kange recalls how she had sleepless nights 10 years ago. She was kept awake by the tomato paradox: “scarcity in a community where only a few months ago, the same tomatoes were seen in large quantities rotting away.”
She reasoned that “training women on the use of better seedling and off-taking their products, teaching them local processing and easy-to-do methods will reduce erratic year-round supplies, encourage the impoverished rural farmers, lessen seasonal overproduction,” and in the long-run contribute in her own little way in conserving Nigeria’s scarce foreign exchange used in tomato paste imports.
Kange, satisfied with her indigenous method of storing tomatoes for future use, which saves cost and gives smallholder farmers financial rewards for their produce, took two steps further: expansion and mentorship.
And because success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, Kange was able to scale the initial capital hurdle when in 2015 she applied and won the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme grant. She said things are less difficult when you are prepared and have a clear idea of “where you want to go and what you need to do to arrive at that destination.”
As a beneficiary of the TEF grant, Ogola did not worry so much about sourcing the initial capital to upscale to a medium-scale enterprise.
Equipped with knowledge from the training received from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), mentorship and a grant from Tony Elumelu Foundation, she formalised the setting up of a small-scale tomato processing plant and began to share her agribusiness knowledge with women.
The processing line is a combination of automated and manual processes, with an emphasis on the semi-automated process.
Kange is proud that every product of Smiley’z Kitchen has been handled directly by a woman in the processing line.
Shika Zaria where the farms are mostly located is about 89.4km from the state capital, Kaduna. Does Kange buy on credit from the farmers? “We pay our farmers upfront for seedlings and input at the start of the farming season and when the produce is ready, we off-take from them,” she said.
This is an organised system where all payments are made via bank transfer to the farmers’ leader for onward distribution to other farmers before the produce are transported to Kange’s mini factory.
How tomato agro-business impacts living standards
Kange works directly with the Shika Chigaba women and youth farmers’ cooperative, buying 65 percent of their annual yield which is converted into tomato-based sauces. She is thus increasing the annual income of members of the cooperative society.
She explained that the average woman living in rural northern Nigeria earns $0.3 a day, with limited skills or opportunities to increase their livelihood. This she addresses in two ways. First, by purchasing the excess tomatoes from smallholder farmers and providing market access, thereby increasing their sales by 25 percent on average per annum.
“Secondly, I train women on how to develop cottage industry for agricultural products. To date, entrepreneurship training has been provided to over 400 women. A substantial number of them have now successfully started or improved their own businesses to support themselves and their employees,” Ogola narrated.
According to her, over 100 farmers are in this group with thousands of customers who purchase products in various supermarkets and retail stores nationwide including Shoprite stores.
Nigerian Tribune spoke with some of the women farmers. One of them shared an interesting experience. She is Hajia Rabi Kabiru who is now the manager of Farmer Service Centre, Shika, in Giwa LGA of Kaduna State.
Hajia Rabi’s success story
What does a typical day look like for the women in the community?
Their daily routine is a typical routine found in rural communities, which includes religious prayers, making food for their families before heading out to the farms.
The routine defines Hajia Rabi’s daily activities. She said her topmost source of income is the tomato business. Rabi also received assistance from some NGOs.
Ever since a firm, TechnoServe, connected her with Kange to off-take her tomato produce, it has been a win-win business relationship between the duo.
“This firm trained us in tomato farming but now, Kange does both the training and buying. I also train other women because both literate and illiterates can learn and there is no end to learning new things. After our training with Kange, I started my own tomato farm. Since then, I have not been in lack.
“Kange also gives us micro-credit and better seedlings. We repay the loans with harvested tomatoes and make a profit from the excess,” Rabi said.
TechnoServe is a not-for-profit organisation operating in almost 30 countries. The organisation works with hardworking women and men in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries.
Hajia likes the company’s idea of measurement. She explained that when the old 65kg local basket is used, tomatoes get spoilt on transit, before getting to Kange. She recalls how tomatoes sold for between N700 to N800 per basket.
“But now we use plastic crates of 32 to 35kg that sell for N4,000. When there is a price increase as it is now in Abuja, a basket of Tomato costs N10,000,” she said.
The women prefer crates introduced by Technoserve because they help in preserving the tomatoes for as long as a week, unlike the local rafia basket.
For the women that get their mentorship under Rabi she explained, “We transplanted tomatoes to one of the women’s farm free because the people that taught me did not collect money from me. So, in the next 65 days, she will start harvesting.”
Women that show interest must have a farm with an irrigation facility, to qualify for Rabi’s training. The irrigation could be from a river, well or borehole, she disclosed.
The 33 people Rabi trained at the time of this report had their field day on February 16, 2023 marking the beginning of their harvesting season.
Her words: “The income from tomato farming depends on the size of the farm. By my estimate, during harvest, an average tomato farmer could make about N250,000 a week (circa $542 at official exchange rate of $461 as at February 18, 2023).
“Before our contact with Kange, we made little or nothing because I vividly remember how we usually throw spoilt tomatoes away during harvest. Today, with the help of Kange, we have better input and ready buyers. Sometimes before planting, we enquire from her whether she will buy our tomatoes. If she says yes, then we go ahead and plant.”
The joy that she raises four children with her meagre earnings encourages Hajia Rabi each time she feels the impact of the drudgery of farming.
Explaining how her family’s wellbeing has improved, Rabi said, “We feed well and train our children in school. As I speak with you, through this tomato business, I have trained four of my children in the university. I now have two male and two female graduates.”
She said that she was not expecting any government assistance, but prefers assistance from NGOs and good partners. She said her recent meeting with East-West Seeds Knowledge Transfer International was helpful.
According to her, “I know that even if we need a loan from the government, they cannot give us. An average tomato farmer will be needing N600,000. That will help from nursery to transplantation and harvest. We can harvest up to three times a year depending on the species of tomatoes.”
East-West Seeds develops tropical vegetable seeds that help farmers grow better crops. They use different languages to guide farmers on how to improve their yields.
Rabi said East-West gave her an Android phone, fertiliser and pesticides, in recognition of her outstanding performance in seed buying, growing and bumper harvests.
Bauchi women’s method
As is done in Kaduna, and other northern states, women in Bauchi also have a manual method of processing and preserving tomato paste for sale or consumption at home during scarcity. From the clearing of farmlands, collection of water from holes, and cooking of containers to stirring of mixtures on fire, the women endure hours of industry, shedding sun-induced sweat while the process lasts. In the end, it is gratifying that the profit is matching the efforts put into the work.
The women have the option of preparing either tomato paste alone or a combination of fresh tomatoes mixed with pepper and onion. Either process keeps the taste and freshness of the paste for up to three months or more.
Adama Balteh, a housewife who explained the process, said the first step was to buy a large quantity of fresh tomatoes, grind same and boil to remove liquid from it completely.
“As you boil the ground tomatoes to remove liquid, you also wash and boil the containers to be used in preserving the paste; the containers must be durable and airtight.
“Most of us use salad cream bottles (Bama), which are thoroughly washed and boiled (covers removed) for five minutes. Bottles that cannot withstand the pressure will crack and will, therefore, be eliminated, leaving only those qualitative enough for the preservation of the paste,” she narrated.
The hot tomatoes completely drained of their liquid are then poured into the equally hot bottles, added a pinch of salt and a small quantity of oil, and then closed airtight to prevent the infiltration of micro-organisms.
“These bottles containing the paste are again boiled in hot water for five to 10 minutes, after which they are removed and kept in a safe place for sale in future to make a reasonable profit, or used at home to cut cost in times of scarcity,” Balteh was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as having explained further.
According to her, an average size basket of tomatoes that sells for N2,000 during the period of harvest in Bauchi can provide about 30 ‘Bama’ bottles of fresh paste.
She claimed that the locally preserved paste was better than existing tin tomatoes ‘in taste and everything,’ but she warned that the preparation and preservation process must be strictly adhered to. Any deviation from the steps produces ‘bubbles’ in the preserved paste, and spoils the process.
Hajara Jibrin (another housewife), said, “With N3,000 worth of tomatoes, I was able to produce 20 bottles of preserved paste and each bottle costs between N500 and N800 in times of scarcity, enabling me to make a profit of at least N7,000.”
Findings show that in times of scarcity, an average-size basket of tomatoes in Bauchi costs at least N25,000. Those engaged in the business of preservation of the paste locally buy tomatoes and process same during the period of harvest when the cost of an average basket is between N1,200 and N2000. Then they process same and preserve it for at least three months.
Analysis of the women’s accounts suggests that the cost difference did not vary so much and depends on how long it lasted after harvest. The costs also depend on how knowledgeable one is in local bargaining processes.
Where government intervention is needed
Kange however wants the government to, among other things, explore other salient benefits of the red fruit in medical science. Apart from consumption as food, she revealed that tomato fluids have health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
As stated earlier, small-scale tomato farmers can suffer up to 45 percent harvest loss. Hence, Kange also desired the government to empower processors and farmers as well as ensure seamless and transparent collaboration between smallholder farmers and cottage processors. This she believes, will greatly improve food security in Nigeria and reduce over-dependence on the importation of food products while tackling post-harvest losses.
She admitted that government officials have visited in the past and made promises which have not been fulfilled to date.
If the women were to ask for support from the government, what would they ask for and what problems would that solve?
Kange says the women need water dams for irrigation farming, boreholes, and capital inputs like seedlings, fertiliser and pesticides. However, government should make sure to consult with the farmers when providing such support as they already know from experience the resilient varieties of seedlings.
and then