Nigeria: Kano vegetable farmers commence tomato, onion harvest amidst concerns

It is the season for harvesting major vegetable crops such as tomatoes, bell peppers (Tatase) and onions in Nigeria. Vegetable farmers in Kano State and across major dry-season farming-producing states have already commenced harvesting. Vegetable farmers across the axis of Garun Mallam and Kura Local Government Area were seen sorting, bagging and struggling to transport their harvested vegetables for further processing, storage and sales. During a visit to the state, PREMIUM TIMES observed that hundreds of smallholder farmers growing these vegetables are already trooping to the market to trade their produce. Despite this, most of the farmers who spoke with our correspondent said they are not at the peak harvest season yet. It was gathered that a raffia palm basket of tomatoes is currently being sold at N30,000 as against N4000 and above that it was sold for during last year’s harvest. However, there are existing concerns, including fluctuating prices, high cost of inputs, ...