By Ismail Auwal
Governor Nasir El-Rufai has commissioned Nigeria’s third-largest tomato factory in Kaduna.
The factory, Tomato Jos, situated at Kangimi village in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State latest cutting-edge technology in food processing, and can produce a carton of tomato paste in one minute.
The commissioning was part of the 6th edition of Kaduna Investment and Economic Summit (KADINVEST 6.0) that was concluded last Friday.
The company will target the Nigerian and the world tomato paste market, the Managing Director, Ms. Mira Mehta has promised.
The governor who appreciated the courage of the Managing Director for choosing Kaduna despite the security challenge in the state and the country in general appealed to the host community to cooperate with the company.
According to him, the commissioning is a fitting conclusion to KADINVEST 2.0 and ‘’a clear testimony of the steady progression of the investors that have responded to our consistent pitch about the economic potentials that inhere in our land and our people”.
El-Rufai pledged to continue to render support to Tomato Jos, just as he expressed gratitude that the factory has transformed the lives of the neighbouring communities, hoping that the impact would extend to the entire state and the country.
Speaking at the commissioning, Ms Mehta said that the company aims to create a middle class in rural areas by harnessing the power of local production for local consumption.
The MD appreciated the Kaduna State Government for the regular support towards the success of the project, especially the quick response she gets from Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA).
According to her, the government gave her a free hand to run her business and the officials are willing to create a conducive atmosphere for the factory to operate. She called on other states to follow the Kaduna state example.
Ms. Mehta also expressed gratitude for the cordial relationship that exists between her and the host community, promising to do more to improve the lives of her workers.
Giving a remark on behalf of the Central Bank of Nigerian (CBN) governor, a Director in the Bank, Mr Nwaja Chika, said the federal government has introduced several intervention programmes to support tomato farming, which is yet to attain its full potentials in the country as a large volume of tomato yields end up as a post-harvest losses.
He said the sector is employment elastic and can translate into better income for the farming population and improve their living standards and reduce insecurity.
