Greenhouse tech can fill tomatoes production gap in Nigeria – Walumnbe

The gap in tomatoes production in the country currently put at about 1.4 million tonnes can be filled by the greenhouse technological concept which is capable of creating huge employment opportunity for Nigerians.

The Integrated Project Manager – Sustainable Livelihoods, Dizengoff Nigeria, Mr. Oscar Walumbe said that Nigeria consumes over 2.3 million tonnes of tomatoes annually, while it currently produces about 1.8 million tonnes locally. Speaking at a media field day in Lagos during the week, he said only 50% (0.9 million tonnes) of the produce makes it from farm to fork, thereby, creating an immediate gap of 1.4 million tonnes to filled.

Walumbe said the gap is essentially filled via importation, a scenario which puts more pressure on the demand for the already scarce US dollars. 

He said Nigerians can now leverage on the immense opportunity offered by the Dizengoff Farmers’ Kits which can limit the foreign exchange spent on importing tomatoes annually while also providing employment for the country’s teeming but unemployed youths. 

He explained that the Dizengoff farmers Kit (DFK) is a technology which was specifically developed to enable farmers produce high quality, fresh tomatoes all year round anywhere in Nigeria. 

“The kit yields up to 4 tonnes of tomatoes in a 6-month season from a single (8m x 24m or 192m2) greenhouse; in comparison, the traditional open field tomato cultivation with best agricultural practices yields a maximum of 7 tonnes per hectare (10,000m2).

While re-iterating the commitment of the company to bridge the gap in the production of tomatoes in Nigeria with its greenhouse technological concept, he said the DFK replicated over one hectare yields 19 times more tomatoes than the traditional open field cultivation. 

According to Walumbe “our greenhouse is essentially a controlled environment limiting the devastating effects of insect pests and diseases that ravage vegetables including tomatoes. It is not rain-fed but brain-fed, as it comes complete with a customised drip irrigation system. With little amount of land space and water, you are sure to get a yield far higher than your traditional open field production”.

Also speaking at the media field day, the Marketing Communications Manager, Humphrey Otalor, said “as a company, we see the huge employment opportunity the greenhouse has created for Nigerians, both directly and indirectly and we believe that with participation from both the private and public sectors, the DFK will create about 1000 jobs directly and indirectly in the next 2 years”. 

He added “our strategy in bridging the gap in tomatoes production is to ensure that farming is made attractive even amongst our youths, through modern technology with the greenhouse farming concept and access to quality inputs and technical support. We know that there are readily available markets for the quality of tomatoes produces in our greenhouses”.

“Nigeria is blessed with an abundance arable land which very few countries can boast of, it has the potential of not only feeding Africa but the world. Over the years, too much reliance on the now dwindling oil sector for economic growth has been the bane of the agricultural sector. 

However, this is the best time to start resuscitating the agricultural sector, beginning with the vegetable crops such as tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, water melon, sweet melon and the likes.