The OCP Africa, a global fertilizer giant has promised to assist horticulture farmers, to increase their farm productivity, incomes and fostering greater and better rural jobs.
The Country Manager of the company, Caleb Usoh, disclosed this during a Horticulture Training of Trainers (ToT) online betting Master Class, organised by OCP Africa, in partnership with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA),
in Abuja, for Greenhouse managers, field agents and lead farmers.
To get Nigeria on the map for horticultural products, he reiterated that much must be done to improve the quality of the cultivation as demand for fresh produce increases.
He believes horticulture empowerment would help to create much-needed jobs by improving access to technologies, knowledge and markets, handball betting tips strengthening technical and managerial capacity in the farming and agri-business sector.
Usoh said the partnership is meant to groom growers and agro entrepreneurs to deploy greenhouse technologies to boost food security, exports and economic growth.
He noted that with the growing population resulting in a demand for higher quality products, double chances betting food safety, stable supply and more up-scaled and sustainable production, to address the challenges, institutions must join forces to develop a modern greenhouse vegetable production sector.
The country manager said that modern greenhouse vegetable production can provide an innovative solution to meet the fast growing demand for high quality, safe and sustainable produced vegetables, which are year round available.
He said OCP Africa was working to transfer skills and know-how of controlled environment agriculture that can provide optimum efficiency and handball prediction higher nutrient density and increase domestic crop production.
Usoh explained that its partnership with SFSA was a collaboration to advance shared goals of sustainable and secure food production.
He stressed that there were numerous areas where sector development and best betting strategy smallholder support were needed, as the challenges faced by farmers present themselves in various activities along the value chains.
According to him, the company has acquired greenhouses for its hubs located in 13 states, saying it has gone a long way in providing a diverse food basket to address nutritional requirements.
So far, 35 standard eight by 24 metres greenhouses have been established across major tomato production areas in Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Abuja, and seven other states with over 20,000 farmers accessing quality seedlings and inputs, as well as good agricultural practice training on modern production techniques and linkages to off take markets and processors.
One of the participants, who is the Director, Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) Commercial farm, Dr. Edna Akpan, described the training as timely with the potential to enhance the competitiveness of farmers and agro entrepreneurs.
She noted that horticultural production was a market of increasing interest and potential. According to her, the training would ensure growers are empowered with the skills to match the demand of the horticulture sector, in order to grow and improve.
