The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) has launched a campaign in Nigeria promoting the use of plastic crates for tomato transport and storage, aiming to improve logistics efficiency and reduce post-harvest losses in the country's vegetable value chain.
Speaking at the Forty-Seventh National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS) in Kaduna, IFDC Country Representative Mohammad Salasi said the initiative is part of the organization's broader strategy to modernize agricultural logistics and support sustainable food systems.
He noted that IFDC, through its Dutch-funded agricultural development programs, has submitted policy memos to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, advocating the inclusion of new value chains such as tomatoes, carrots, and cabbage in national agricultural planning.
"Imagine transporting tomatoes in raffia baskets from Kaduna to Lagos, over a thousand kilometers. By the time they arrive, barely half of the produce is still in good condition," Salasi said.
"Plastic crates are not just durable; they reduce losses, improve produce quality, and support a more sustainable value chain," he added.
According to IFDC, post-harvest losses in Nigeria's tomato sector remain as high as 40 per cent, mainly due to poor handling and inadequate packaging. To address this, IFDC has been training farmers on improved post-harvest practices and facilitating access to modern logistics equipment through partnerships with local manufacturers.
Salasi said that financing constraints had slowed adoption, as limited credit risk guarantees discouraged agribusiness investors. However, recent developments are helping to scale up the use of plastic crates. The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has raised its credit risk guarantee from 50 to 75 per cent, unlocking a US$327,000 special intervention program in partnership with IFDC to distribute more plastic crates across the tomato value chain.
IFDC data indicates that tomato yields among trained farmers have increased from an average of 9–10 tons per hectare to 24 tons, and up to 40 tons per hectare on some commercial farms such as Tomato Jos.
Source: Blueprint
