Katsina cabbage farmers seek quality seedlings, pesticides

This reporter gathered that local farmers in the area cultivate cabbage three times in a year provided that there is reliable source of adequate water, as the crop takes only three months to plant and harvest. According to a vegetable farmer, Alhaji Hamisu Tsangamawa, farmers, young and old, in Danja LGA are making fortunes from cabbage […]

This reporter gathered that local farmers in the area cultivate cabbage three times in a year provided that there is reliable source of adequate water, as the crop takes only three months to plant and harvest.
 According to a vegetable farmer, Alhaji Hamisu Tsangamawa, farmers, young and old, in Danja LGA are making fortunes from cabbage farming.
“Cabbage farming is just like a bonus to most farmers here in Danja since we plant it after harvesting our seasonal crops like maize. We start our dry season farming from October and harvest in January, and if one has a reliable source of water he can plant another cabbage farm from January and harvest it in April or May,” he explained.
He also said that the price of 50kg bag of cabbage can sell for up to N7,000 in April and May as against N2,000 that it is being sold now.
“Businessmen that deal in vegetables come from Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and Lagos where they buy cabbage in quantities direct from the farmers,” Tsangamawa added.
For his part Mal Halidu Yakaji, 48, said he has so far sold cabbage worth N200,000 in this year’s farming season.
“For the past 20 years I have been into cabbage farming from which I benefit immensely, and so far this year I sold cabbage worth of N200,000,” he said.
“There is urgent need for government to provide us with agro-allied chemicals (pesticides) and fertiliser to boost cabbage farming in our state, also the need for the provision of earth dams especially in southern part of Katsina cannot be overemphasized.,” said Yakaji.