Katsina farmers need mango juice factory

There are an estimated number of 1,000 mango trees spread across the farms in the area most of which were not originally planted by the farmers but grew on their own.Daily Trust gathered from the farmers that the mango plantation has been in place for over a 100 years producing fruits yearly in commercial quantity.One […]

There are an estimated number of 1,000 mango trees spread across the farms in the area most of which were not originally planted by the farmers but grew on their own.
Daily Trust gathered from the farmers that the mango plantation has been in place for over a 100 years producing fruits yearly in commercial quantity.
One of the eldest farmers interviewed by this reporter at the farms, Malam Abdullahi, 75, said besides the mango farming which only covers two to three months they also engage in full time grains and irrigation farming.
“Many of us here inherited our farmlands and the mango trees, and the place was named after one of the pioneer owners of the mango trees here called Gwamma.
“There are now over 10 individuals that own the large number of mango trees and each of them harvests over 900 baskets of the fruit yearly; a basket is sold averagely at N500 but when the mango is out of season the price goes up to N1,000,” he said.
The money generated, according to Mal Abdullahi, is used in purchasing fertilizer and other agro-allied chemicals for the cultivation of maize and or vegetables for the dry season farming along Mairuwa dam.
“Within the months of April, May and June, I earn not less than N400,000 from my mango sales and I use the money on my irrigation farm along Mairuwa dam as well as our conventional maize farming,” he revealed.
Another farmer, Malam Hashimu Yusuf Mairuwa, explained that apart from the young girls that daily troop from the neighbouring towns to the plantation to purchase the fruits, large scale buyers from Sokoto, Argungu, Gusau, Tsafe and even some parts of Niger Republic come with their vehicles to purchase the commodity when their own is finished.
“Towards the end of May and early June traders come here from Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states to purchase the fruits in large quantity using their vehicles (C20 and Pick Up vans) to transport it.
“Similarly, young girls that hawk mango in Faskari, Funtua and Bakori towns also buy the commodity ranging from N200 to N1,000 each, making the place lively with lots of activities in the month of May,” said Mal Hashimu.
One of the traders, Muhammed Sulaiman, 45, told this reporter that he has been buying mango fruits from Kurmin Gwamma for about 10 years now, adding that he transports most of his mangoes to Argungu, Zuru and Yawuri in Kebbi State.
“Our mangoes finish earlier than those of Katsina State that is why we come all the way from Kebbi to purchase it here in large quantity and take it back home where we make profit,” Muhammad said.
Both the farmers and the merchants lamented the government’s nonchalant attitude in establishing juice factories to create wealth and job opportunities as well as control wastage of the mango fruits resulting from glut.
“Lack of mango preservation and processing factories is affecting the prospects of mango and other fruits farming here in Katsina State. In this axis of Faskari, Funtua, Danja, Dandume and Bakori we have enough mango plantations that can sustain a juice factory if established but government and private individuals are yet to unravel the opportunity, making the fruits to rot in farms and markets during its glut,”
Danladi Musa, another farmer lamented.
He further called on the incoming administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to include mango juice plants in its agricultural agenda so that the state will diversify its revenue source as well as job creation avenues.