The
Dangote Tomato Processing Factory, Kadawa, Kano State, has begun survey of
tomato farms in six major tomato producing states to ascertain the level of
availability of the commodity.
The
company’s Managing Director, Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita, disclosed this to the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on friday in Kano.
Kaita
said the survey would be conducted in major tomato growing areas within the
states which are: Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Plateau and Sokoto.
He
said that the survey would enable the company to assess the availability of the
commodity before resuming production in the next few weeks.
“We
want to make sure that the commodity is readily available in these states
before we resume production.
“We
will require 40 trailers of tomato daily, hence our decision to embark on the
survey of major tomato growing areas to know whether the farmers have started
harvesting,” Abdulkarim said.
He
disclosed that the company had engaged over 50 casual staff who would convey
the fresh tomato inside the factory for processing.
He
said no fewer than 30 students on Industrial Training (IT) had also been
engaged by the company to assess the quality of the raw materials before
processing.
NAN
recalls that the company stopped production about nine months ago due to
inadequate raw materials, following the outbreak of a pest which destroyed
tomato farms in about five states, including Kano. (NAN).
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