Kano farmers get hybrid tomato, onion varieties

Tomato and onion farmers in Kano State have received new high-yielding varieties to boost their productivity. The new varieties are products of collaborations involving Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), Alliance for Green Revolution (AGRA) and Bayer Company.

The newly introduced hybrid varieties are Takahe onion seed and Xaman tomato seed.

Speaking to farmers in both Shuwaki village of Tudunwadan Dankadai LGA and Bauje village of Bagwai LGA of Kano State, Sasakawa’s Senior Coordinator, Business Development and Partnership, Mr Isaac Eni, revealed that the field day was organised to set the pace for other farmers to see the performance of the new hybrid seeds during harvest for easy adoption.

Mr Eni explained that the Takahe onion seed had shown that it was an average early maturing variety that produced medium to large sized bulbs which were slightly granex in shape (thick, yellow-skinned and globeshaped).

He said the collaboration was working in conformity with the value chain approach by linking farmers with credible inputs suppliers, as well as linking farmers with existing markets, a move he described as aiming at a very strong sustainable farmers’ economic development.

Similarly, a crop productivity enhancement expert, Malam Idris Sa’idu Garko, stated that some of the qualities of the Xaman tomato seed were that it was an early maturing determinant hybrid tomato that was of fresh market with Saladette fruit type, adding that the tomato was also a high performance plant that produced big deep-red fruits with smooth shoulders and wide adaptability to urea.

Malam Garko, therefore, urged farmers to judge for themselves from what they had seen and make a wise decision by adopting the newly introduced seeds for better agricultural practices in the state.

Speaking on behalf of farmers whose farms were used as demonstration sites, Malam Tasi’u Haruna stated that they were very much convinced that the newly introduced hybrids were far better than the seeds they were initially using, adding that farmers from far places visited his tomato plantation to see for themselves, as well as seek knowledge on growing the hybrid varieties.