Tomatoes - a versatile food item

There is a video being shared on social media which makes one wonder why so much waste of food items is carried out when they can be easily utilized for better purposes. The video shows dozens of plastic bags filled with tomatoes being thrown into a canal in a rural area of Sindh and being carried away in the flowing water. Each bag was large and must have held at least ten kilos of tomatoes and the van is a big one. This was just one van - heaven knows how many tons of tomatoes were wasted in this manner.

We use a lot of tomatoes in our cooking - so much so that many people cannot cook most dishes without using at least one or two! They are good in salads and that delicious salsa known as ‘kuchumar’ which goes well with food in summer; tomato jam is delicious (It is listed as a fruit in some places); cooked tomato chutney is very tasty - and of-course tomato ketchup is a must have addition with many dishes, especially with children! These days tomatoes are available at a very reasonable price, so those who are budget conscious do manage to make some of these items at home and if they have the capacity, they freeze some for when the price rises.

There is one known company that makes tomato paste in Pakistan and Chinese imported ones are also available - but why do we need to import the paste when we have a surplus of tomatoes? The tomatoes that were being thrown into the canal could easily have been turned into paste or dried to be used later, or into any of the products listed above. All that is needed is proper planning and the setting up of a small factory in each tomato growing area which will benefit the local farmers - and eventually the consumers.

Can those who are responsible for food security or SME’s think outside the box and do something about this unnecessary wastage?