Tomato Jos in Nigeria is the winner of the 2024 SAVE FOOD project competition

The SAVE FOOD initiative is committed to a more responsible use of resources along the entire global food supply chain in order to reduce food loss and waste. Once a year, a flagship project is selected to receive the SAVE FOOD Award amounting to 10,000 euros.

This year’s winner was announced in December 2024 at pacprocess MEA in Cairo, an event organised by the interpack alliance. The project of Tomato Jos Farming and Processing Limited in Nigeria was awarded the prize.

Nigeria is the largest producer of tomatoes in Africa south of the Sahara. They are an integral part of traditional cookery and are one of the staple foods of the country. Even though Nigeria produces 65 percent of the tomatoes in West Africa, the country paradoxically also imports tomato products worth millions of US dollars per year.

Why? About 45 percent of the delicate nightshade fruit spoil, which is an economic disaster for the many small farmers that rely on its cultivation. A lack of cold chains, insufficient storage facilities and a transportation infrastructure in need of improvement, as well as high temperatures and humidity, are all reasons for the high degree of crop loss.

Tomato Jos Farming and Processing Limited, an initiative founded by Mira Mehta in 2014, wants to change these factors and is tweaking various parameters to achieve its goal. Tomato Jos runs farms, creating jobs. “In the 2024 season alone, we created over 4,000 jobs”, says the CEO.

At headquarters in the state of Kaduna, the initiative has its own facility to produce tomato paste. Training programmes give small farmers information about many topics relevant to modern agriculture. In addition, the initiative provides high-quality seeds, fertiliser and other agricultural technologies that are necessary for a high-yield, high-quality harvest. An innovative credit payment system supports small farmers, who traditionally only have limited access to funds, in building a productive business.

Over seven billion tomatoes have been produced so far. “Our yield is seven times the national yield average”, Mira Mehta is proud to report. The concept relies on concrete, practical solutions. The training programme particularly focuses on women and young people to give them the opportunity to participate in the economic process.

The dedicated expert continues: “From countless reports by farmers, we know that they often lack the resources and knowledge to correctly handle tomatoes after harvesting. The high yield loss not only affects income but also discourages the farmers and keeps them from investing in future seasons. Among other things, we provide small farmers with knowledge about when to ideally harvest tomatoes and how to best sort and package them.”

One of Tomato Jos’ pragmatic solutions are large capacity crates. These crates are not only a sustainable type of packaging, but also significantly reduce damage to the tomatoes compared to the woven baskets that are traditionally used. The crates protect the fruit during transport and their uniform design also allows them to be easily stacked. The available space in lorries is used optimally, reducing transport cost per unit. Additional training for the transport personnel in handling the tomatoes when loading and unloading is also having a positive effect.

The Tomato Jos initiative ensures that the tomatoes are processed right after harvesting to maintain their quality and freshness. “Our project focuses on improving the transport infrastructure and on effective processes to minimise damage. In this way, we want to reduce dependence on imported tomato products and secure the livelihoods of small farmers.”

Tomato Jos was launched with the objective of reducing the post-harvest loss of tomatoes by about 20 to 30 percent. However, its founder also has a greater vision: “I worked together with small farmers in Nigeria for years and saw how important it is for the survival of families and communities to find a solution for their high losses. For the people there, it is a question of survival and of opportunities for a better,   self-determined future.”

Tomato Jos works with approximately 350 contracted farms, acting as a buyer for their crops and providing them with a reliable source of income. “The entire project”, says Mira Mehta, “has a broad base. We not only want to prevent local food waste and reduce the wastage of resources such as water and energy, but also secure a stable income for small farmers throughout Nigeria and create jobs. Our model is easy to expand and can be implemented anywhere in the country.”

The prize money of the SAVE FOOD Award, which amounts to 10,000 euros, will be used to further advance the project in Nigeria. “We are expanding our training programmes on all kinds of agronomic topics, from pest control to new tomato varieties and optimum harvest times, are investing in teaching materials and implementing pilot projects for improved packaging systems”, says project manager Mehta. “This award is a springboard to scale up our initiative so that thousands of farmers can profit and optimise their harvest yield.”

The expert has many stories to tell of remarkable individuals such as Maryam Idis, who made a modest living at the subsistence level by selling chilled water in bags. She successfully applied to Tomato Jos’ small farming programme as a new farmer and completed comprehensive training courses, received access to arable land and was provided with agricultural inputs. “Today, Maryam can look back on a successful harvest yield of 700 crates of tomatoes. She has implemented another business idea with blocks of ice and generates a stable monthly income”, Mira Mehta reports.

Agriculture is Nigeria’s mainstay. The effects of climate change and the worsening soil quality are impairing yields. Tomato Jos’ development programme strengthens the value chain for tomatoes and increases the long-term productivity of small farmers. It also shows that the vision of people like Mira Mehta can make big changes.

“The demand for our tomato product is very high”, says Mira Mehta. “Our next goals are to significantly expand out network of farmers, to establish climate-friendly agricultural practices and to further advance the topics of agroforestry and soil health in Nigeria.”