Tomato Jos Farming and Processing Limited, has launched its Tomato Jos paste variant into the Nigerian market.
The new tomato paste variant, packaged in a 65-gram sachet, is produced directly from fresh tomatoes grown in the country, thereby guaranteeing superior flavour and colour. It is the company’s first consumer product since the commencement of operations at its multi-billion-naira factory in Kaduna state last year.
First City Monument Bank (FCMB), in 2019, financed the construction of Tomato Jos Farming and Processing Limited’s 3.5tons/hr state-of-the-art tomato paste processing plant located at Kangimi, Kaduna State. The funding was through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Real Sector Support Facility (RSSF) intervention fund to procure plants and machinery for the factory.
Speaking at an event to unveil the Tomato Jos sachet variant, the Managing Director of the company, Mira Mehta, said: “It is a dream come true. Though entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs, I feel encouraged whenever I see my passion for this business ignite in one of my colleagues. I am incredibly proud of the Tomato Jos team for their hard work and belief that we could achieve something on this scale. The facility is the only one of its kind in Nigeria that can produce sachet tomato products directly from fresh tomatoes.”
Also commenting on the development, the Managing Director of FCMB, Mrs Yemisi Edun, described the Bank’s funding of the factory as another landmark intervention to boost agribusiness, food security and food sufficiency in Nigeria.