Trending 
Inadequate storage and processing facilities for tomato farmers in Plateau State have become a thorn in their flesh, forcing them to sell their produce immediately after harvest.
The affected farmers, in interviews with NAN, described the poor storage and processing facilities in the state as the greatest challenge to tomato cultivation.
One of the farmers, Musa Abdullahi, who cultivates between three and five hectares yearly, said that the farmers do not receive adequate support from the government to address this issue.
“I have been cultivating tomatoes for the last 10 years; I know exactly the plight of farmers, particularly the small-scale farmers. Occasionally, we receive subsidised fertilisers or improved seeds from the government, but the support is not regular,” said Abdullahi.
“Most times, we sell quickly because tomatoes easily spoil; we do not have proper storage facilities in the state. Some farmers dry tomatoes under the sun, but that is not enough; that style isn’t giving the real value of the money expended.”
Abdullahi added that, despite the presence of some tomato processing firms in the state, many smallholder farmers depend heavily on middlemen to access markets.
Another farmer, Chundung Pam, noted that the inadequate storage facilities in the state were just one of many challenges tomato farmers in the state have to come to terms with.
Pam highlighted pests and diseases, high cost of fertilisers and transportation, insecurity and unstable market prices as other challenges Plateau tomato farmers face.
Many Nigerian farmers, like Plateau tomato farmers, battle similar plights. These challenges have far-reaching consequences on Nigeria’s agricultural sector. Experts have linked poor storage and processing facilities to post-harvest losses.
In 2025, farmers in Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states decried a lack of storage facilities, poor road networks, unreliable power supply and insecurity, saying these challenges have led to massive post-harvest losses, estimated at ₦3.5 trillion to ₦5 trillion annually.
