Tomatoes (Lycopersicon lycopersium) are among the most widely grown fruits in the world. It is usually grown in areas with moderate rainfall of 500 – 750mm. It is grown largely in China, USA, Italy, Brazil, Egypt, India, Thailand, Nigeria, and Chad. In Nigeria, the fruits are usually consumed as fresh as well as processed products. It is cultivated in many states in Northern Nigeria and the Middle belt. The major production centers includes Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Niger, Borno, Kebbi and Sokoto. Tomato is very rich mineral, vitamins, Cabohydrates and proteins. It is one of the widely used versatile vegetable crops. Despite the huge quantity of fresh tomatoes produced in Nigeria, about 50% are lost due to post harvest activities. In addition, the country has been beseeched with a lot of brands of tomato paste such as Tomato-fun, Rosa, Tasty tom, Gino, Vitali, Immaculate, Roma, St. Rita etc; majority of which are made from imported tomato paste and it has been reported that the country imports processed tomato paste to the tunne of 65,509 tones, valued at USD 77.167 million annually. This constitutes a huge drain on the country’s scarce foreign reserve.
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