Daily Trust Sunday

Farmers equipped with post-harvest tech in Kano

- From Ibrahim Musa Giginyu, Kano

It is apparent that farmers across the country have been suffering a lot due to issues related to post harvest losses. It is also obvious that farmers lose a greater percentage of their harvest, especially perishable­s, due to poor preservati­on techniques, poor access to skills and presentati­on equipment.

However, Kano Agropastor­al Developmen­t Project (KSADP), funded by the Islamic Developmen­t Bank (IsDB), Lives and Livelihood Funds (LLF) and the Kano State government, and implemente­d by Sasakawa Africa Associatio­n (SAA), has come up with measures to address the issue of post-harvest losses by training and empowering farmers on modern techniques to adopt in addressing the issues related to the issues.

One of the outstandin­g measures taken is the training and empowering vegetable farmers on adoption of vegetable tent dryer technology for drying and preservati­on of vegetables as a measure of post-harvest reduction. According to one of the vegetable farmer’s associatio­n leaders, Alhaji Sani Danladi Yadakwari, who is state chairman of Tomato Growers Associatio­n of Nigeria (TOGAN), vegetable farmers in Kano State, especially tomato farmers, have been facing serious losses, especially during the hay period of tomato harvest, adding that the introducti­on of the vegetable tent dryer system will surely reduce vegetable farmers’ plight.

He explained that it has become a perennial challenge that vegetable farmers have come to terms with, experienci­ng glut thereby making vegetable farming less attractive to many farmers. He added that the introducti­on of the tent dryer will bring to an end the sun-dry method initially adopted by farmers to preserve excess vegetables, especially tomatoes which he said was not done in a hygienic manner.

It was gathered that the project had establishe­d three of such tents located at vegetable producing

sectors across the state.

Another system introduced by the project is the tomato processing and preservati­on techniques to women. Under the project, women were trained and empowered with the technical skills, as well as empowered with other input requiremen­ts to establish mini tomato procession outlets.

These trained women are encouraged to form groups that would be producing processed tomatoes that have been either preserved as paste or processed into tomato jams.

One of the beneficiar­ies of the interventi­on, Malama Zulaiha Bilyaminu Kura, of Rimin Bunu women farmers multi-purpose cooperativ­e society, stated that women that were initially involved in sun-drying methods for others are now smiling to the banks as they have been elevated from working for others to working for themselves as a group of mini tomato processing hub.

Similarly, another initiative adopted and introduced to farmers is the aerated onion storage technology meant to reduce onion post-harvest loss and preservati­on. According to one of the state’s onion farmers Malam Bala Alo

Shu’aibu, the newly introduced storage technology has the ability to reduce over 90 percent of onion post-harvest losses. It was, however, gathered that the project had establishe­d three aerated onion storage technology and 20 more are currently under constructi­on.

Speaking on the project’s progress as implemente­d by SAA, Country Director of SAA Dr Godwin Atser stated that it is dishearten­ing to learn that Nigeria as a nation has been losing about N3.5 trillion to post harvest loss, adding that Nigerian farmers could have been richer than they are had it been the issue of post-harvest is handled effectivel­y.

According to him, SAA as an implementi­ng partner in the KSADP has been promoting a robust agricultur­al transforma­tion driven by increase in the adoption of mechanizat­ion in its aim to boost productivi­ty as well as to reduce labour burdens.

He explained that the project has gone a long way in changing the narratives in the state agricultur­al activities, adding that more farmers have benefited from the interventi­on and a sizable increase in productivi­ty has been recorded.

 ?? ?? Green house for vegetable preservati­on
Green house for vegetable preservati­on

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