By Felicia Imohimi
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) says it will unveil the Afritropic Greenhouse Farms by December to ensure year-round availability of fresh, hygienic vegetables for residents of the FCT and neighbouring states.
The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Mr Cornelius Adebayo, made this known during an inspection of the ongoing construction of the greenhouse farms, comprising 20 units, in Abuja.
Adebayo said each greenhouse unit has the capacity to produce between two and three tonnes of vegetables such as pepper, tomato, and other horticultural crops.
He listed facilities at the farm to include a packing house, humid cooling system, solar-powered boreholes, cold storage, overhead stanchions, drip irrigation systems, and security infrastructure.
According to him, the initiative will help decentralise vegetable production, reduce transportation costs and post-harvest losses, and address challenges associated with horticulture.
“The idea behind the greenhouse farms is to improve access to all-year-round hygienic vegetables for residents of the FCT and neighbouring states.
“With this technology, tomato and pepper scarcity during the lean season will be a thing of the past,” Adebayo said.
He added that similar greenhouse farms are under construction along the Lagos–Epe–Sagamu Expressway to serve Lagos and Ogun States.
Adebayo further disclosed that land clearing for open-field vegetable cultivation is ongoing across 20 selected locations nationwide, with about 10 hectares to be cleared in each federal constituency and allocated to women farmers.
“The 20 locations are in Cross River, Taraba, Gombe, Kwara, Katsina, Plateau, and Oyo States, among others. Each location will be equipped with cold storage, a packing house, and irrigation facilities,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Tosin Kolade