Blossom Tomato Processor Group – Jos women group and SwoFON: Small scale women Farmer & processor Organization in Nigeria- Kaduna State Chapter had been supported by NICOP since 2019 to improve their capacity, strengthen their group coh esion, explore sustainable production, and enhance their product branding and marketing. For the past ten years these women groups had been processing tomato manually and packaging them locally. Introducing automation to this process was a way to not only bring additional quality and productivity, but to provide additional competitiveness for them to explore new products and enter into new markets.
In February 2022, they were also supported with the provision of an automatic packaging machine with air compressor and autoclave to automate processing and packaging of their tomato produce. This will improve their processing skills, reduce post-harvest losses, enhance product standards and increase revenue for these women. The equipment delivery was accompanied by capacity building and skills for 27 women surrounding the operations and use of the machine. This included how to package and seal, inscribe manufacturing date, batch number and expiration date on the machine, and carrying out maintenance as at when due.
Ensuring an inclusive approach is critical for NICOP to achieve its overall goals on competitiveness.
“The Nigeria Competitiveness Project, NICOP, is implemented under the GIZ SEDIN programme and it is co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)”
