Horticulture: Nigerian farmers walk on riches but suffer poverty…Kenyan farmers earn N5.5bn, Ghana targets over $3bn

Nigeria with a wide range of agro-ecological zones has all the natural conditions for a vibrant agricultural sector.The nation has over 84 million hectares of arable land of which more than 60% is underutilised. It has a humid tropical climate conducive for a variety of flowers, vegetables, fruits and crops.Also, with about 279 billion cubic […]

Nigeria with a wide range of agro-ecological zones has all the natural conditions for a vibrant agricultural sector.
The nation has over 84 million hectares of arable land of which more than 60% is underutilised. It has a humid tropical climate conducive for a variety of flowers, vegetables, fruits and crops.
Also, with about 279 billion cubic meters of surface water, the country has the potential irrigable area of 3.14 million hectares (31,400km), which is more than half the size of some smaller West African countries like Togo (56,785 km²);  almost the size of Guinea Bissau (36,120 km²) and bigger than Gambia (11,300 km²). This area of irrigation alone has the potential to feed the entire African population if utilised optimally.
Although the international financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF said the country has the biggest economy in Africa ahead of South Africa, some vital industries such as horticulture of the agricultural sector are far behind those of Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa.
A look at the horticulture industry in some African countries will demonstrate how Nigeria is lagging behind. Take Kenya for example, in 2013, horticulture farmers generated 3 billion Kenya Shillings (N5.5bn) in the first quarter of the year.
According to Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics, the production of cut flowers, fruits and vegetables for export grew from a cumulative 99,700 metric tonnes in the middle of 2012 to 111,892 metric tonnes in the last few months this year.
The statistics also show that the value of horticulture export grew from Sh40.5 billion (N74.4 billion) in 2012 to Sh43.5 billion (N79.9 billion) this year.
Vegetable exports recorded the highest growth in monetary terms, with increase from Sh1.67 billion (N3.07billion) to Sh11 billion (N20.2 billion) in the first quarter of this year. The production grew from 28,881 metric tonnes by June 2012 to 38,604.9 metric by June 2013.
Cut flower exports, which bring in the bulk of horticulture income, grew by Sh1.07 billion (N1.97 billion) in 2012 to Sh30.34 billion (N55.8 billion) in June 2013; with a production capacity from 54,781 metric tonnes in June 2012 to 56,177.5 metric by June 2013.
Ethiopia, in the horn of Africa, earned $265.71 million during the 2011/12 year, which shows a $41.71 million increase compared to 2010.
Flowers have the biggest revenue share of the horticulture products, which helps the country to obtain $212.56 million, while the balance goes to vegetables, fruits and herbs.
The Ethiopian horticulture industry is said to provide employment for 184,000 people, 70% of them are women. Statistics from the Ethiopian Horticulture Development Agency, showed the industry generated about $266m in 2011/2012, which equates about 10 percent of the country’s export value from just $28.5m few years ago.
Ethiopia is now the second-largest flower exporter in Africa after Kenyan.
Ghana on its part, in the first quarter of 2012, according to the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, generated $1.387 billion (more than the $1billion Nigeria is going cap-in-hand abroad to borrow for defence purposes) out of its targeted $2.446 billion. In 2013, it sets a target of $3.3 billion from its horticulture export.
Nigeria has many places with unique weather for horticulture farming. The large quantity of pepper produce in Funtua, Katsina State is supposed to get the farmers richer than government officials as the case in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Kenya.
Sani Shuaibu, a pepper farmer in an interview with Daily Trust recently in Sheme Junction market along Funtua-Gusau road in Katsina State lamented that farmers in the area make very little from the proceeds of what they produce; the reason been that they produce more than what local buyers need, forcing them to  sell at lower prices giving them little or no profit at all.  
“Sometimes the buyers take advantage of our situation to buy at low prices then take it to Lagos and other states in the west where they make a lot of money at our expense,” he noted adding that “for some of us here, we are just doing it to feed our families.”
In Jos, the Plateau State capital, this reporter in an interview with some horticulture farmers, discovered that even the cultivation of roses – a species of flower with good monetary value at the international market – has now stopped.
“This is because the current government does not have interest in horticulture,” Elizabeth Omoayena, a horticulturist and owner of All-Green Plant Garden in Jos said.
“We used to produce the best roses in the world. Unfortunately the production has stopped; the flowers with less quality to what can be produced here are now been imported into this country,” she stressed.
“I learnt government is building fresh produce cargo airport in Jos,” a young horticulturist who simply called himself Emma in Jos said to this reporter. “Maybe then, with adequate government support, our farmers will begin to count their blessings. But for now, we are counting loses.”
Horticulture experts see Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna and Cross River as haven for growing flowers, fruits and vegetables for export, which could put millions of naira into the pockets of farmers.
John Okwudili Ene is a consultant, development horticulturist and principal partner, Horticulture Development Centre, Abuja. He said only a more pragmatic and sincere approach to the horticulture sector by government will reposition the sector to compete globally with those of Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa.
For Kanu M.O. Emmanuel, a deputy director in charge of horticulture in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, government has concluded plans to build and upgrade standard infrastructure in collaboration with the private sector to meet the global standard requirement for horticultural production in order to meet international food safety standard.
Beside vegetables and flowers which can be grown in many places, there are a number of fruits – pineapples, avocado, pears watermelons, oranges, cashew – the list goes on – that can be produced all over the country.
With these rich horticulture potentials all over the nation and a population of 177 million people estimated by National Bureau of Statistics, the questions now being asked are: how much do Nigerian farmers earn from horticulture? And how much does Nigeria as a country get from horticulture export?
Lack of storage facilities all over the country creates 45% wastage – thousands of metric tonnes of fresh fruits rot away while farmers bear the loss. Government has failed to provide basic standard production infrastructure for horticulture farmers to gain access to markets in Europe, just like Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.
Until a more systematic approach and commitment to the horticulture sector comes to the fore in Nigeria, farmers will continue to hear about billions generated elsewhere in Africa but they cannot see and touch the billions despite their rich and blessed soil which they will continue to walk on with poverty staring them in the face.