NIHORT turns excess tomatoes into wine

By Esther Onyegbula

Scientists astatine the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) person developed an innovative solution to Nigeria’s perennial post-harvest nonaccomplishment challenge, herb wine, a merchandise designed to widen support beingness and unfastened caller marketplace opportunities for rootlike farmers.

For decades, herb farmers crossed Nigeria person grappled with dense losses pursuing bumper harvests, arsenic mediocre retention facilities and marketplace gluts often pb to wastage and fiscal setbacks.

However, researchers astatine NIHORT accidental that processing excess tomatoes into vino could supply a sustainable mode to sphere worth and heighten profitability for smallholder farmers.

According to the institute, the herb vino innovation transforms surplus caller tomatoes into a shelf-stable, value-added beverage with year-round income potential.

This not lone prevents discarded but besides diversifies income streams for farmers who traditionally beryllium connected caller marketplace sales.

The inaugural has attracted the enactment of HortiNigeria, a programme funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation (EWS-KT), Wageningen University & Research (WUR),
and KIT. The collaboration focuses connected linking cultivation innovation with viable marketplace channels to fortify Nigeria’s horticulture worth chain.

As portion of efforts to beforehand the caller product, HortiNigeria has showcased herb vino astatine respective cultivation fairs and exhibitions, including the 2023 Agro Food Fair successful Lagos State, wherever visitors sampled the beverage and learned astir its imaginable to trim discarded portion expanding earnings.

Building connected this exposure, HortiNigeria has commenced an consciousness run done vigor speech shows and societal media platforms, allowing experts from NIHORT and spouse organisations to prosecute with consumers, dispel misconceptions, and beforehand adoption. Discussions are besides underway with retailers to marque the merchandise much accessible to the public.

Stakeholders accidental the herb vino task demonstrates however research-driven innovation and strategical partnerships tin alteration cultivation challenges into profitable ventures.

HortiNigeria (2021–2025) is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands nether the Dutch improvement argumentation and aims to physique a much sustainable, inclusive, and resilient horticulture assemblage successful Nigeria.

Vanguard News

The station NIHORT turns excess tomatoes into wine appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.