Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketing Association of Nigeria, Plateau State chapter, has called on the state government to provide them with enabling business environment for tomato production.
The association members made the appeal at a workshop for Value Chain on business enabling environment issues organised by GIZ-SEDIN.
Among the challenges outlined by the association is insufficient extension workers, lack of tomato storage/preservation facilities and disease attack on the crops.
Speaking at the event, the Plateau State Secretary of the association, Joshua Ngwen, said the issue of multiple taxation and poor assess roads to tomato farming communities are also some of the problems.
He called on the government and other relevant agencies to double their efforts intervening in the tomato value chain so that the production of the crop will continue in the state unhindered.
Professor Juliana Mafuil who is the association’s treasurer called on the financial institutions to render assistance to the tomato value chain, as they do to other crop in terms of loans accessment and related interventions.