Katsina farm adopts new ‘Greenhouse’ method to boost production

The management of Tafkin Bauna farms in Katsina State, recently introduced green farming in its business, a venture that is proving to be the next big thing in modern farming techniques as it boosts production, resulting into massive revenue generation. The chairman and chief executive officer of the farm, who also doubles as the state […]

The management of Tafkin Bauna farms in Katsina State, recently introduced green farming in its business, a venture that is proving to be the next big thing in modern farming techniques as it boosts production, resulting into massive revenue generation.
The chairman and chief executive officer of the farm, who also doubles as the state chairman of the All Farmers Association in Nigeria (AFAN), Umar Ya’u Gwajo- Gwajo, said the new farming technique was adopted in view of the weather uncertainty which was becoming so rampant nowadays, especially as it was alien to us in this part of the world.
He said gone were the days when perishables, like tomatoes, chilli, onions, among others, were cultivated during a particular season as with the new procedure, it is possible to plant them all year round and with large volume of output.
According to him, the system entails constructing the green house which usually allows one to have control of the weather by adjusting it to suit particular period to meet the demand of the plant, adding that this can be done all year out.
“Let me give you an example, the tomatoes here when cultivated last for almost 60 days without getting rotten unlike our local ones that hardly stay a week. The water content in this is so small which makes it better and long lasting. Even when selling a kilogram it costs between N600 – N1000,’’ Gwajo-Gwajo said.
He said driving the economy can be best sustained with policies that encourage effective private participation, stressing that “we have seen what is obtainable elsewhere and we, as a nation, must seek to adhere to this principle. With this realisation, once government will use the advice of specialists and real farmers, we will attain the much needed food security.’’
He said: “What the government needs to do is to provide adequate equipment for soil measurement because we need to have a good understanding of our soil through accurate tests to enable us ascertain which crop is suitable to a given soil and what have you.
“The second thing is for the government to provide improved seeds.
“There must be availability of improved seeds that will be in line with the latest technology and even the current weather condition,’’ Gwajo-Gwajo further said.
Shedding more light on the scheme, a university lecturer and consultant to the project, Dalhat Hassan, said most advanced countries were able to sustain food sufficiency using this method of irrigation farming under the green house initiative.
On cost of establishing a green house, Hassan said it cost about N6 million for an all imported greenhouse but that recently, an indigenous green house built by local persons which has proved effective cost about N800,000.
He said, the indigenous model had the metal parts of the original design removed and replaced with wood because metals absorbed heat and made the plants unable to produce well.
“The heat in our country makes the iron metal components to add to the temperatures at the house thereby affecting yield, but with the local one we said why don’t we use wood which doesn’t absorb heat, and it proved so excellent,” he added.
On economic potentiality, Hassan said, “One hectare of green house can accommodate 40,000 seedlings of tomatoes, which can produce 65,000 tonnes with a kilogramme costing close to N1000. When you do the arithmetic, you can see that a hectare of this farming gets one close to N65 million. It is a very profitable venture.’’