AGRIBUSINESS:Should tomatoes go in the fridge?

AGRIBUSINESS:Should tomatoes go in the fridge?The influence of storage on the flavor of ripe tomatoes. There is much debate about the correct storage of tomatoes.

Should tomatoes be in the fridge or kept at room temperature? Researchers investigated whether there are differences in the flavor of ripe tomatoes depending on how they are stored, taking into account the chain of harvesting from farm to fork.

 No difference was found: the variety of tomato is much more important. How to make money from tomatoes.

"It is the variety of tomato in particular that has an important influence on the flavour. Therefore, the development of new varieties with an appealing flavour can be a step towards improving the flavour quality of tomatoes," says Larissa Kanski, lead author of the study.

Innovation : How Farmers in Nigeria are Using Climate-Smart Techniques to Reduce Post-Harvest Losses.

Farmers in Nigeria Use Climate-Smart Techniques to Reduce Post-Harvest Losses. Approximately one third of all food produced in the world for human consumption is wasted. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, where food security is a huge concern, the majority of food waste occurs at the post-harvest level because of poor harvesting practices, lack of appropriate storage facilities and transportation, poor packaging materials, and product spillage. In Nigeria, tomatoes are an important food source, but nearly half of the tomatoes produced by smallholder farmers are lost each year. 

Post-harvest loss, which is exacerbated by climate change, contributes to food insecurity and reduces the income of smallholder farmers, processors, service logistics providers, and retailers. 

 Traditional efforts to improve food security have focused on increasing agricultural yields and introducing technologies to reduce post-harvest losses. However, the effects of climate change – including increased soil salinity, extreme temperatures, changes in moisture content, and the unavailability of suitable tomato seed varieties – have made it difficult to increase and sustain year-round tomato production. This is particularly concerning because by 2050, an estimated 60 percent increase in food production will be required to feed the global population.

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO PACKAGE FRESH PRODUCE TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS.

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO PACKAGE FRESH PRODUCE TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS.

Farmers invest time and care to cultivate and harvest their produce. To attract the consumers, they need to ensure their products stay fresh with a packaging that will please buyers.

 Packaging is the first step towards adding value to fresh produce. Decent packaging sets the tone for what follows; it catches the consumers eye first. If you want to see this at work, visit the fresh market stores and you will notice that many consumers make decisions on what to buy based on packaging. 

A good  number of people buy  fresh produce on most occasions, some make purchases after work, when they are tired and in such a case  they have five to 10-minute stops off at the supermarket on their way home.

 They want to run through few items, get back in the car and get home.  This is where prepacked fresh produce come in handy. With growing competition, farmers should invest time and effort in creating a product that is pleasing to the eye and picks the interest of a busy customer passing by the aisle.

     A good packaging should make the consumer take a second look. Because consumers are in a hurry, the brand name may not be enough to catch his eye. The  Package shape, color and design is another way to add  value to your brand  for better  identification.

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AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING.

AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. Tomato farming is very lucrative and as such many farmers are investing in the value chain to increase profit margin. Tomatoes must be whole and fresh for it to command premium price,hence split tomatoes is not what farmers bargain for,so what causes this and how to stop it. AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. Fluctuation of temperatures sometimes can cause problems for newly growing tomato transplants. It is therefore very crucial to mulch your plants, either with organic mulch such as straws, wood chips or plastic. The mulch will conserve water and also prevent disease from spreading. When it comes to mulch and tomatoes, plastic mulch has shown to be the best mulch to help prevent tomato cracking. Sometimes, if you have a lot of rain after a spell of really dry weather, you’ll find splitting tomatoes on your tomato plants. AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. A split tomato problem is really caused by lack of water. If you take away water, the tomatoes cannot stay lush and juicy, and the skin will crack just as your skin cracks if you do not have enough moisture. And when the tomatoes receive a large amount of water quickly after this, they fill with water and the skin bursts at the cracks like an overfilled water balloon. How to Prevent Tomato Cracking This cracking problem in tomato is more than just an aesthetic problem. You will realize that through these cracks bacteria and fungus can be introduced into the fruit and cause them to rot or provide an easy access to pests. AGRIBUSINESS: WHAT CAUSES TOMATOES TO SPLIT AND HOW DO YOU PREVENT TOMATO CRACKING. For you to prevent splitting in tomatoes, you will have to water your tomato plants once a week with about 1-2 inches of water. To keep tomato cracking to a minimum, be sure to keep your tomato plants watered evenly on a regular basis. Protect them from a severe drought in your absence by setting up a watering system on a timer. This way you can water your farm when you aren’t home to do it and you won’t have to deal with severe tomato cracking. It’s as easy as that to solve a split tomato problem. Finally, be sure to fertilize your tomatoes according to the instructions on your tomato fertilizer. Fertilizer or manure is important to keep the soil healthy enough to help your plants produce as many tomatoes as possible. If you follow these rules, soon enough you will have plenty of tomatoes to enjoy and to sell.

How to tackle seasonal fluctuation in prices of pepper and tomatoes.

       How to tackle seasonal fluctuation in price of pepper and tomatoes.

 Most Nigerian homes, especially in the Southwest region, who consume good quantity of pepper, may have to endure the current high price of the commodity in the market.

  For now, according to a survey, scarcity is the factor contributing to the current price increase. The fact that pepper  is a major spice used in foods makes it an essential commodity across the country.

Nutrition agency tackles tomato harvest loss.

Nutrition agency tackles tomato harvest loss. yNigeria is set to reap improved gains from the tomato value chain, as the Post-harvest Loss Alliance for Nutrition (PLAN), expands its capacity building/training for citizens on appropriate processing methods and packaging technologies. The recent training, held in Kaduna, had 30 participants from both public and private sectors as PLAN, an initiative of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), seeks to maximise Nigeria’s nutrition potential from tomato, in which it ranks as the 14th largest producer globally with an estimated annual output of 1.8 million metric tonnes. According to PLAN, in spite of the high production rate, the demand gap is hardly met due to the colossal post-harvest losses occasioned by poor post-harvest management industry, thereby leading to low consumption of nutritious foods and reduced income for farmers.

Tomato Millionaires In The Making: How These 4 Smart Entrepreneurs Are Making Money from Africa’s Tomato Problems.

Tomato Millionaires In The Making: How These 4 Smart Entrepreneurs Are Making Money from Africa’s Tomato Problems. Tomatoes are Africa’s most consumed fruit (or vegetable); eaten by millions of people across our continent’s diverse religious, ethnic and social groups. Both in its raw and processed forms, tomatoes are central to most African diets and remain a regular ingredient in many soups, stews, sauces and dishes across the continent. Sadly, despite the ‘celebrity’ status of tomatoes in Africa, our continent does not provide enough tomatoes to meet its own needs. Almost every country in Africa consumes more tomatoes than it produces. The rest is imported from outside the continent, especially from China – which is now the world’s biggest exporter of tomato products. More than 50 percent of tomatoes harvested every year in Nigeria never make it to the market. Due to poor storage and a lack of processing options, a lot of tomatoes harvested in Nigeria is wasted. Another reason is, in most parts of Africa, tomatoes are mainly grown by small-scale rural farmers who have limited access to good seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. They also depend on natural rainfall to grow their tomatoes which makes the harvests unpredictable and inconsistent. Nigeria is not alone in this. This same ugly tomato situation is at play across the continent; from West and East Africa to Southern Africa.There are already a few smart entrepreneurs on the continent who have observed the huge and lucrative gaps in Africa’s tomato market and are already making some good progress.

FOOD PRESERVATION : HOW TO PREVENT POST HARVEST LOSSES AND ENSURE FOOD SECURITY AND SAFETY.

  Nigerian entrepreneur offers solution to post harvest losses. As a vegetable farmer himself, Ikegwuonu has first-hand experience of the huge post-harvest losses incurred because of a lack of cold storage.

In Nigeria, it is estimated about 60% of smallholder farmers’ fruits and vegetables spoil due to inadequate storage and agro-processing facilities. This idea can be extended by having a mobile cooling truck,from farm to markets.

The post harvest losses can be curbed by using solar dryers   a form of preservation and also extend shelf-life of produce.

 These cold hubs can also come in handy in the meat industry. Butchers that have left over beef  use cold rooms, but introducing a solar store  will save cost and ensure the cold chain is maintained.
 

Preservation and processing is a bullet proof method to curb waste and extend shelf-life of produce.

 Thinking of investing in the agricultural sector? then think along these lines, cold hub chains, cooling trucks, vans. The profitability will  increase if this venture is mobile, trucks collecting from designated points for onward delivery to the cold box or store.

Ikegwuonu is addressing this challenge with Cold Hubs – a solar-powered walk-in cold-room solution aimed at farmers, retailers, and wholesalers.

The cold rooms are installed at major food production and consumption centers, such as markets and farms.

Simple things you can do to add value to your produce.

                  Simple things you can do to add value to your produce.


Value addition is key to increased profits in agribusiness.This is true irrespective of any farm prroduce, as all farm produce can be processed into more than one product for the benefit of the consumers.

Tomatoes is a major produce with many potential for value addition. Adding value to tomatoes is not only profitable but it prevents wastes and promotes healthy living .

 Value addition not only helps farmers weather the storm of oversupply, it also helps them fetch better prices for the same produce. Value addition or processing will also help you make use of certain post-harvest things to create wealth. .

A tomato a day keeps the doctor away.

A tomato a day keeps the doctor away.Forget avocado, rosehip or coconut oils – the latest miracle ingredient to fight ageing might just be sitting in the bottom of your crisper.Tomatoes are the key ingredient in a new skin care range by plant breeder Abundant Produce, including the latest release of lip balm, Tomato Infusion Lips Alive but the nutraceutical maker isn’t stopping there when it comes to turning salad ingredients into beauty products. Abundant’s Sydney-based seed breeding program has found success with other vegetables such as cucumbers, but the company remain tight lipped about just how far their vegetable horizons extend. “We are a science-based business and do more than just pulping fruit,” chief executive Tony Crimmins said. “The special tomato that we have bred is extremely high in lycopene and is proven to reduce inflammation.” Commonly found in not just tomatoes but other red vegetables, the chemical compound lycopene is extracted from tomatoes and according to ABT “naturally helps the skin to defend itself against sun damage… and to reduce roughness, wrinkles and other visible signs of ageing.

Agribusiness : How to turn your tomato business to a money farm.

Agribusiness : How to turn your tomato business to a money farm. Tomatoes are healthy fruits with massive health benefits as they are rich in lycopene, a carotenoid with antioxidant properties, which is responsible for the deep red color of tomatoes. Fresh raw tomatoes are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin C, and some B-complex vitamins, tomatoes are also low in calories as 100 grams of tomatoes have around 18 calories. Agribusiness : How to turn your tomato business to a money farm. Tomatoes can be processed to paste,puree and ketchup alongside other products. The tomato market is large and a lot needs to be done to prevent the losses currently experienced from farm to market. Investors in the chain can actually tap into value addition in the form of processing the fruit into other products that are also equally beneficial in terms of health and wealth. Tomato business. Tomatoes can be used fresh and raw or processed into other products to prolong shelf-life and increase profit. Here are a few tips for a startup in tomato business. Tomato ketchup : this is by far the most common form of processing,with various brands adding specific ingredients to make their products unique.Ketchup is commonly used with snacks and ready-to-eat foods,the chicken and chips delicacy is not complete without it. Agribusiness : How to turn your tomato business to a money farm. Tomato paste: this is easy and most convenient for working mums, the tomatoes are cut up and processed into ready to use paste. There is another value addition with the tomato paste,it could actually be blended with pepper and some salt to produce a tomapep product. This is a handy ingredient for homes,eateries,school cafeterias and definitely a travel companion when camping out. How to make tomato ketchup;

How to can tomatoes the easy way.

How to can tomatoes the easy way. Canning tomatoes is a method of preservation as well as value addition to prolong shelf-life and increase sales.

Tomato processing .

Tomatoes are healthy fruits with massive health benefits as they are rich in lycopene, a carotenoid with antioxidant properties, which is responsible for the deep red color of tomatoes. Food rich in lycopene will give antioxidant and is often associated with boosting our immune system by removing free radicals from our bodies thus decreasing the risk of stroke, lowering our bad cholesterol levels and preventing artery hardening. The tomato market is large and a lot needs to be done to prevent the losses currently experienced from farm to market. Investors in the chain can actually tap into value addition in the form of processing the fruit into other products that are also equally beneficial in terms of health and wealth. This is how to process tomatoes to extend shelf-life to increase profit and cut waste.

How to reduce post-harvest losses in the tomato value chain.

How to reduce post-harvest losses in the tomato value chain. This is a crucial point to tackle if profit in tomato business is to be experienced. Value addition is a method of reducing losses, harvested tomatoes can be processed immediately ,see Tomatoes can also be preserved by extending the shelf-life especially when transporting from rural region to urban and the journey is for days or months. There is a new innovative method to stop tomato losses by using ash. Tomatoes can be stored in ash for up to 5 months without spoiling and there is no side effect of storing in ash thus its safe. The use of ash is safe,economical and increases profit margin. When tomatoes are harvested,they can be stored in crates with ash and then transported any where or can be stored for months before selling. This method not only prevent losses but also creates a niche market for farmers that can produce tomatoes ahead of peak periods and sell for additional income. This method of keeping tomatoes in the ash for a period of five to six months, then sell them in December, January, or February when the price has risen—since tomatoes are rare and become expensive during this period. see

How to grow tomatoes with Epsom salt.

Industrial potential: UK team produce beneficial phenolic compounds in tomatoes

Industrial potential: UK team produce beneficial phenolic compounds in tomatoes

CHICKY DELIGHT FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN.

Children need a balanced diet,for growth and proper development.Children need carbohydrate,protein,fats and oil and water,for growth,maintenance and mental health.The provision of a balanced meal can be a herculean task and very expensive if you dont know how to mix and match.The purpose of a healthy meal can be defeated if the diet has more of a particular source(carbohydrate) and less others such as protein,fat and oil and water,every nutrient has a role to play. Children need protein for growth,carbohydrate for energy,fats for insulation and clean water for proper digestion,absorption and metabolic functions. A combination of all these nutrients will ensure growth and development, here is an easy recipe for school children. INGREDIENTS 1)Rice 2) chicken sausages 3) tomatoes pepper,./onions/curry/thyme. 4) vegetable oil. 5) water. Method; 1)wash and cook rice. 2) wash,chop and fry seasoned tomatoes,onions,pepper 3) fry chicken sausages and dice. 4) Mix diced sausages in prepared sauce. 5)add cooked rice to prepared sauce,and allow to simmer. 6) pack in colorful plastics/disposable plates This is a highly nutritious meal for school children,it will fill them up and deliver expected nutrients and please serve with water. Water is so vital to the feeding programme. The rice can be substituted with pasta, indomie or mashed yam and the sausages replaced with eggs.The eggs could be boiled , diced and add to sauce or fried and add to sauce.The meal is nutrient packed with any of these combinations.