In line with the Federal Government’s initiative to diversify its revenue through agriculture and ensure food sufficiency, Saro Agrosciences Limited has resolved to boost vegetable production through its greenhouse technology and empower about two million farmers within the next three years.
The greenhouse technology is specifically developed to enable farmers produce high quality fresh tomatoes and vegetables all-year round and anywhere in the country to increase its productivity and income. The technology comes with the Saro greenhouse kits which include inputs.
“Our greenhouse farmers’ solutions makes available inputs and quality equipment that will help to boost farmers’ productivity, thereby increasing their livelihood,” said Oluwole Adeyegbe, managing director, Saro Agrosciences Limited, at the launch of the specialised and lager farmers’ solution division in Lagos recently.
“Two million farmers will be reached within the next three years so that we can improve their yield per hectare and increase their livelihood,” Adeyegbe said.
He noted that farming tomatoes using the Saro greenhouse kit will increase yields up to four tonnes per hectare in a six-month season from a single greenhouse, in comparison with the traditional open field tomato cultivation with best agricultural practices yields of maximum of seven tonnes per hectare.
Nigeria is the 13th largest producer of tomato in the world and the second after Egypt in Africa, but the country is still unable to meet local demands.
It has a domestic demand of 2.3 million tons, while it produces only 1.8 million tons annually, according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).
To make up for the short fall, the country spends N16 billion annually in the importation of tomato paste which makes up for the shortfall in local production.
Greenhouse offers golden opportunity to farmers to farm all-year round, there bridging the demand-supply gap of fresh tomatoes in the country, stakeholders say.
Also speaking during the launch, Patrick Ohaji, head of larger farmers’ solutions, Saro Agrosciences Limited, said “Greenhouse is essentially a controlled environment limiting the devastating effects of pests and diseases infestation that ravage vegetables including tomatoes. It comes complete with a drip irrigation system.
“Farmers can now leverage on the immense opportunity offered by the Saro greenhouse technology to limit the foreign exchange spent on importing tomatoes annually while also providing employment for the youths.”
“Greenhouse is a solution to pest and disease control,” he said.
Josephine Okojie
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