How farmers can turn the tide, by experts

Over the years, tomato production in Nigeria is largely done through irrigation in most states of the north. Only a few could afford to grow the widely consumed fruit in green houses during the rain-fed season.

Kadawa irrigation valley in Kano State is home to the largest number of dry season producers. An appreciable number of the producers could also be found in Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Jigawa and Plateau states, with pockets spread across other states.

However, many of these farmers do not have the facilities (like green houses or rain-fed varieties) to produce during the wet season as the local varieties are not suitable for rain-fed. This inexorably creates scarcity during the rainy (wet) season.

The dry season favours the local varieties because the nights are cooler as a result of lower mist in the air whereas growing the fruit in the wet season becomes difficult because heat is trapped in the moisture and the soil temperature is high making the varieties that farmers have difficult to cultivate.

Mira Mehta, the CEO of Tomato Jos Farming & Processing, a company currently involved in the production of tomato along Kangima Dam in Kaduna, who spoke with one of our reporters recently, said the company could not produce during the rain-fed season because of the cost involved.

Although the company uses a variety called E8400 from a US company called BHN, which is high-yielding, it is alsothat too is not suitable for the wet season; therefore for Mehta, their 500-hectare land will be used for maize during the wet season.

However, the introduction of heat-tolerant varieties and their availability, which is a significant development in the tomato industry, may change the story of perennial scarcity of the fruit/berry during the rainy season.

Best ways to plant tomato during rainy season -Experts

A horticulturist and senior lecturer at the Department of Agronomy, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Dr Isah A Shero, has noted that tomato varieties like Roma VF, UTC, ‘Dan Syria’, ‘Dan Baga’, ‘Tandon’ most of which are foreign could do well under agriculture.

Dr. Shero, in an interview with Daily Trust Tuesday, noted that some varieties like SAM TOM 7 among others were bred at the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) Samaru but the genetic materials have since been transferred to the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) in Ibadan.

The expert stated also that the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) recently released a new rainfed variety called Eva F1.

He said hybrid varieties like Padma F1, Platinum F1 and Diav F1 could be sourced from East-West Seeds Company and other seed companies outside the country which were bred purposely for rainfed agriculture.

Dr. Shero affirmed that most of these varieties could be found in the open market at rain-fed agro-dealers shops.

Best agronomic practices

On the best agronomic practices for rain-fed tomato, Dr Shero pointed out that the seeds should be sowed by drilling method and should be raised in nursery on raised beds and with good nursery management practices.

He advised farmers to prepare raised beds or ridges and that transplanting to the main field should be done 3-4 weeks at spacing of 30-40cm on ridge by 75cm apart.

Again, Shero said weeding was recommended at 3-4 weeks after transplanting, adding that staking was very important for wet season tomato irrespective of the variety grown.

On fertiliser application, he disclosed that immediately after weeding, that is at 3-4 weeks after transplanting; four bags of NPK 15-15-15 fertiliser should be applied while two bags of Urea 46% Nitrogen