Tomato Paste Production in Ethiopia
In recent years, Ethiopia's agriculture has been developing steadily. In particular, with the government's policy encouraging agricultural modernization, the planting of some cash crops has gradually gained attention. Tomatoes, as a vegetable crop with high economic value, are also expanding in planting area year by year. Some entrepreneurs and agricultural investors have begun to pay attention to the deep processing of tomatoes, especially the tomato paste production in Ethiopia.
1. Market and raw material advantages
Ethiopia's climatic conditions are suitable for tomato cultivation, especially in the plateau areas and some river valleys, where the temperature difference between day and night is large and the sunlight is sufficient, which is conducive to the accumulation of sugar in tomatoes. In addition, the labor cost is low, and the supply potential of raw materials is large. In the overall African market, imported tomato sauce has long dominated. Localized processing has obvious advantages in reducing costs and improving supply stability, and has broad market development prospects.
2. The first step in tomato paste production: clarify the product and process
Before officially starting production, the following aspects must be clarified first:
Finished product types:
concentrated tomato paste (generally used in industry or catering), household tomato sauce (bottled, bagged), tomato sauce and other seasoning products.
Process flow:
Pretreatment stage: raw material selection, cleaning, peeling, and seed removal.
Cooking and concentration stage: heating to evaporate excess water and increase concentration.
Mixed sterilization stage: adding appropriate amount of salt and sugar, sterilization treatment.
Filling and sealing stage: the finished product is filled into the packaging container and sealed.
Companies can choose whether to produce high-concentration industrial tomato paste or retail tomato sauce according to the target market (export or local consumption).
3. Equipment procurement suggestions:
The tomato paste production line mainly includes the following equipment:
- Tomato cleaning machine: Use bubble cleaning to remove dirt and impurities on the surface of tomatoes.
- Crushing and peeling machine: Crush and peel tomatoes, separate seeds and skins at the same time, and only retain the pulp.
- Vacuum concentrator: Concentrate tomato pulp under low temperature environment to keep the color bright red and rich flavor.
- Sterilizer: Ensure product hygiene and safety and extend shelf life. Tube sterilizer is commonly used.
- Sterilizer: To ensure product hygiene and safety and extend shelf life, a tube sterilizer is commonly used.
- Filling and sealing machine: Select the filling type according to the packaging form (glass bottle, bag, can).
- Labeling machine and packaging equipment: Labeling, coding and packaging the final product can enhance the product image.
- Capacity selection: The capacity of a small production line can start from 100kg/h, and the capacity of a medium and large production line can reach 1-2 tons/h.
In recent years, the Ethiopian government has introduced a number of policy measures in agricultural processing, export substitution, and investment promotion, providing tax exemptions, land support, and export incentives for agricultural product processing companies, which is conducive to the rapid implementation and operation of enterprises. In addition, enterprises can also establish raw material procurement cooperation with local agricultural cooperatives or farmers to form a stable planting + processing integrated system.