The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has announced plans to roll out solar-powered greenhouse farms in Abuja by December as part of efforts to meet the growing demand for hygienic vegetables in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs.

The greenhouses, located within the University of Abuja, are equipped with facilities such as a packing house, humid cooling systems, boreholes, cold storage, overhead stanchions, drip irrigation systems, and a security post, among others.

Executive Secretary of NALDA, Engr. Olusegun Adebayo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting the ongoing construction of 20 greenhouse units in Abuja.

He said each unit has the capacity to produce between two and three tonnes of vegetables.

Adebayo said the Authority is collaborating with the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Abuja to train and engage students in the farming process, adding that two greenhouse farms will be allocated to each participating youth.

“The idea behind the greenhouse farms is to improve access to hygienic vegetables all year round for FCT residents and neighbouring states. With this technology, tomato and pepper scarcity during the lean season will be a thing of the past,” he said.

The Executive Secretary also revealed that similar farms are being constructed along the Lagos–Epe–Sagamu Expressway to serve Lagos and Ogun states.

He added that land clearing for open-field vegetable cultivation is ongoing across about 20 selected locations, with plans to clear 10 hectares in each federal constituency for allocation to women farmers.

“We have picked 20 locations in Cross River, Taraba, Gombe, Kwara, Katsina, Plateau, and Oyo states, and each site will be equipped with cold storage, packing houses, and irrigation facilities,” Adebayo stated.

He explained that the initiative aims to decentralize production, reduce transportation costs, minimize post-harvest losses, and address challenges associated with horticulture in Nigeria.

On sustainability, Adebayo said NALDA will monitor activities on the farms while a private aggregator firm will off-take the produce and sell it in the open market at controlled prices.

He noted that about 10 youths will be engaged during the first phase of the project, while an additional 30 greenhouses will be established in Abuja and Epe during the second phase.