‘We want people to get vegetables fresh anytime’

I call myself a new age farmer. New age farmer because people like me who have been to school, people expect us to go for white collar jobs but instead I am farming and farming is stereotyped to certain kind of people in the village, the old people with their hoes on their shoulders and […]

I call myself a new age farmer. New age farmer because people like me who have been to school, people expect us to go for white collar jobs but instead I am farming and farming is stereotyped to certain kind of people in the village, the old people with their hoes on their shoulders and that kind of stuff. But I am different, educated yet on the farm and that is a strange picture
What specific farming activity do you do?
We focus mainly on vegetable farming. All sorts of vegetables and that is because we have identified the importance of vegetables in our lifestyle and also our health. So we focus more on that  and we try to get other people to do same as, apart from being food, they are also important to our health.
What sort of  vegetables?
I mean spinach, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower. Some of them are considered exotic but they are very common where I farm. Even fruits like strawberry, raspberry, blackberries, these are all considered exotic you know and most of the time we use them we import them, but we can grow them here and use them for our benefit.
You do all these on the Plateau where the weather is more temperate?
The weather in Jos is very helpful for all these, the strawberries, even the cauliflower, broccoli, they all like cool weather and Jos is very cool and conducive that is why in Nigeria, because of its conducive weather, Jos can thrive with all these farming activities.
I understand that you are also into organic farming. What sort of organic farming practice are you into?
When you talk of organic farming, it is in trying to produce and preserve  produce with very little or no chemical intervention because these things may have an effect even on consumers when they are used excessively. So organic farming is all in a bid to try and reduce the use of these chemicals, if possible try and eliminate them a 100 percent.
You mean in terms of fertiliser, pesticide etc?
Yes, chemical fertiliser, pesticides and all those things you use to enhance the produce.
How then do you deal with insect infestation and the challenge of the fertiliser needs of some crops?
Well, on fertiliser needs, natural compost is the answer whereby you dump organic things and let them decompose. Food waste, crop waste and all those things that decompose and then manure from chicken droppings, cow droppings, horse droppings etc.  So we try to create a system whereby we collect these things from various farms and use as fertiliser on our soil and with that you find that you do not need to apply chemical fertiliser, so that is one way. We also consider using natural things that can be used as pesticides and insecticides and there are some other crops that have instant repellent properties like celery which has this property, same with parsley  even onion. All these things with odour. And there are ways you can blend these things and mix and add liquid to them use as insecticides on your crops and that way you do not need chemical application on your crops.
With more research we could find more ways of organically dealing with insects and pests on our farms.
But is there a demand for organic products; is it worthwhile for the farmer to take the trouble to produce organically?
Well, there is the market because right now you find a new awareness about healthy living, healthy lifestyle and this is something that is already advanced in the developed world. Now in Nigeria, the awareness is starting to come so people will appreciate the extra effort by those farmers who produce organic food and vegetables. And apart from them even the expatriates that are here and who have that knowledge they want to know that they can get whatever they want whenever they are in Nigeria, so we will fill that gap and give them what they need.
And does it fetch a premium price, something more than the price of a non-organic produce?
Of course that will be natural because we all know that any good you sell you consider the time, material and effort used and being organic it will require a whole lot more effort because if you are not using all those things that boost your crops you might produce less on a piece of land that you might produce more if you applied chemical fertiliser and pesticides. So the cost of production as well as more time and effort are incurred, so there will be a slight increase in price and I am sure people can appreciate that as they understand how much effort is used to produce organically.
What are the challenges that a farmer faces if he chooses to go organic?
The biggest challenge is managing the pests because overtime they have become resistant and sometimes no matter what you do you cannot just subdue the pests without using some chemicals as the other option is to watch them destroy your farm. That is why a lot of farmers now opt to minimise the use of chemical application. So the big challenge is the evolving nature of diseases and pests and you may find that whatever you are using, tomorrow it might not be effective. So if that happens what are you going to do? So the best bet is to understand the pests and animals you are dealing with and the diseases as well.
Is there a conscious effort by like minded people who want to go organic to come together and promote it among the generality of Nigerians?
Oh yes, we have been having series of meetings with some young people and because I have that awareness, I really want to push it and the more you find one or two people who are thinking like you the more you get encouraged. I have met a couple of people and we share the same passion and together, on our own, we are doing little bits which I am sure later on will come together and we will be able to push that chain.
What about the marketing side of things, how do you dispose of your produce?
First time we did it we went through the conventional route, via the market and the dealers, but we discovered that based on the goal we want to achieve of providing the best products with the best packaging  and the best prices so that buyers can make their choices, we discovered that the present system will not allow it so we had to try to create awareness and connection with consumers because we believe that with more knowledge there is more desire or demand.
Did you try the big supermarket chains that are sprouting in the major cities?
Yes, we have tried them, we have worked with some of them  but because of our goal, it was not very beneficial because with vegetables, people do not understand it is a very disciplined activity. It is one that has to do with processes. You need organisation, perfect timing and planning and even if you reach the big supermarkets if they do not understand the importance of being consistent, even if they tell you about their needs and you supply them, respecting the time in placing orders and supplying them, they too have to understand that because if they want the best quality they must give you time to offer them the best. So the problem I had with these supermarkets is sometimes they do not understand  what it involves in vegetable farming and they change their mind on you; they negotiate anytime and they upset your planning.
What about prices, do they offer more competitive prices because usually the problem for farmers is that they sweat for so long and they get pittance for their work and it is the middlemen who benefit the most?
It is also part of the reason we chose to deal directly with customers. The middlemen and the supermarkets play the same role. They want to profit a hundred percent on the farmers’ work without consideration of how much work he has put in, how much time he has spent and also how much passion he has put in. These are what he is bringing to you to buy and you have to understand that that is his only life. He has  committed his whole life to produce for you. So the least you can do is to appreciate him with a good price. But we do not have that in Nigeria. Supermarkets will want to buy from you at the same price that dealers will buy from you and our whole idea is to escape the dealers so that farmers can get the fruit of their labour; but of course these products are sold at a good price but which does not get to the farmers.
Did you consider the idea of setting up a farmers’ market similar to what was set up in Kano and also in recent years in Abuja?
Yes, it is concept we considered because the more of such that there are and the more people can access them, the more they will like it. So farmers’ market is also one strategy we want to consider.
Do you face a challenge in cold storage as farmers of perishable produce which need to be kept fresh?
That also is a very very big challenge, especially in vegetables because they are perishable. Their shelf life is very short  – 48 hours to a week  – depending on the vegetable and the storage method and even more so in Abuja where the weather is hot. We are considering some innovations we can have because we are not yet that large scale to make that huge investment. So we are considering different innovations that will serve us.
We can use containers with air conditioners that can keep the vegetables fresh and there can be constant supply of those produce. We want people to be able to access fresh vegetables anytime they want.