Agricultural Story #27

Hello friends welcome to my blog.

TOMATOES
Tomatoes are a known vegetable cultivated and consumed worldwide. It has a lot of health benefits, including its richness in fibre and potassium, antioxidants and vitamin C. Tomatoes are of different species which give our food their unique flavours and taste

Tomatoes can be grown even in a small garden around one's home because it is easy to cultivate. But it might not yield a very large quantity for commercial sales, unlike farmers who grow them on a large farm. When totamtoes are grown in a larger farm, sustainable farming is practised, promoting soil conservation, which is healthy for the environment.

In my country, tomatoes are known to be grown more in the northern part of my country and are sent to other parts of the country for sale. Tomatoes can be used in various ways, such as being used for salad dressing, to make stew, some people use them in their soup, they can be eaten raw, its is preserved as canned tomatoes.

Tomatoes are an agricultural crop that sells all year round, most homes buy tomatoes from the market always because it's been incorporated into our cooking. Although there is a period when tomatoes are scarce, but no matter the price then, people still buy tomatoes. With this, we see tomatoes as being income-generating farm products, benefiting the farmer.

I visited a market in my neighbourhood, which is a hub where tomatoes from the north arrive and offload, and market women come to buy to resell. It is cheaper in this market, and you get them fresh.

Most people who come to this market to buy in larger quantities and preserve them in their homes for future use. With this method, it helps you have some when there is any form of scarcity, and the price of the tomatoes in this market is fair enough.

Tomato Farming Creates Job Opportunities
More hands are employed by the farmer at every stage of the farming process, as well as salesmen and women, truck drivers who take the tomatoes to the local market, and distributors are needed. With division of labour, the work is made easier and there is a constant supply in the market.

There are times when there is a scarcity of tomatoes in my area, not that tomatoes are not in season, but the reason for the scarcity could be that the truck drivers bringing them to my area are on strike, or there is a road block on their way or some other reason, which then results in scarcity. All farm workers should be treated fairly for effective work on the farm and the supply of products to the consumers.

This creation of job opportunities is not just for the farm workers. There are young boys in the tomato market who carry buyers' tomatoes with their wheelbarrows and are paid for their service, which is their means of survival.

When buying fresh tomatoes
Look out for the ones that are still firm; avoid any tomatoes with so much damage on them, as they could be infected. If you have a farm closer to you where tomatoes are grown, or a market where it is directly supplied from the farm, you can buy from there.

But if none of these markets or farms are closer to you, when buying, look out for good ones without decolouration, smells and cracks. A good quality tomato enhances your cooking.

In Summary, tomatoes are a healthy agricultural crop that is lucrative, sells well, and is in demand all season. These benefits can also be applied to households that grow tomatoes in their garden as their little supply can save the home the cost of buying it in the market.

I invite @entity01 @gracyc and @thaizmaita