Zulum to revive Borno tomato factory, celebrates operational shoe factory

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has unveiled plans to revitalise the state’s tomato factory situated along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

During an unscheduled visit to the factory, Zulum outlined a strategy to bring the moribund facility back to full operation.

The governor directed that the existing facilities at the factory be upgraded and modernised to enhance operational efficiency.

To address the challenge of insufficient raw materials, the state has already established a 5-hectare drip-irrigated tomato farm, which will be expanded to 100 hectares.

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“My primary goal is to resuscitate the Borno industrial park’s tomato paste factory. The main issue has been the lack of raw materials. To solve this, we are implementing a robust drip irrigation system using net houses to produce tomatoes. We are working under a public-private partnership to establish at least 100 hectares of tomato plantations,” Zulum said.

He highlighted that the initial 5 hectares are expected to yield about 60 tons of tomatoes per hectare. When expanded to 100 hectares, the total production is anticipated to reach around 6,000 tons.

In a related development, Zulum recently visited the NEITEL Shoe and Tannery Factory to assess its progress.

The factory also revived through a public-private partnership, is currently operating at approximately 70% capacity.