Dizengoff to create 1000 jobs through greenhouse technology

In a bid to align with the Federal Government’s move to diversify the economy away from oil through agriculture and ensure food sufficiency, Dizengoff Nigeria will boost tomato production through its greenhouse technology and create about 1000 jobs in the next two years.

The greenhouse technology comes with the Dizengoff Farmers Kit (DFK). The DFK is a technology specifically developed to enable farmers produce high quality, fresh tomatoes all year round anywhere in Nigeria.

The DFK yields  up to four tons of tomatoes in a 6-month season from a single (8m x 24m or 192m²) greenhouse; in comparison with the traditional open field tomato cultivation with best agricultural practices yields a maximum of 7 tons per hectare (10,000m²).

But with DFK replicated over one hectare, it will yield 19 times more tomatoes than the traditional open field cultivation.

“As a company, we see the huge employment opportunity the greenhouse will create for Nigerians, both directly and indirectly and we believe that with participation from both the private and public sectors, the DFK will create about 1000 jobs directly and indirectly in the next 2 years,” said Humphrey Otalor, marketing communication manager, Dizengoff Nigeria during a media field day held recently.

Nigeria is the 13th largest producer of tomato in the world and the second after Egypt in Africa, yet the country is still unable to meet local demand because about 50 percent of tomato produce is wasted due to lack storage facility, poor handling practice, and poor transportation network across the country. The situation has resulted in an import bill of N16 billion annually in the importation of tomato paste which makes up for the shortfall in local production.

                              

Nigeria has a domestic demand for tomatoes put at 2.3 million tons, while it produces only 1.8 million tons annually, according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).

According to experts, greenhouse offers golden opportunity to farmers to farm all year round, thereby bridging the demand-supply gap of tomatoes in the country.

The greenhouse  technology provides plants exactly what they need – a perfect climate, right amount of sunlight, nutrition, exact amounts of water, carbon dioxide for photosynthesis,  proper ventilation and hostility to pests and diseases.

“Our greenhouse is essentially a controlled environment limiting the devastating effects of insect pests and diseases that ravage vegetables including tomatoes. It is not rain-fed but brain-fed, as it comes complete with a customised drip irrigation system. With little amount of land space and water, you are sure to get a yield far higher than your traditional open field production,” said Oscar Walumbe, integrated project manager, Dizengoff Nigeria.

“Nigerians can now leverage on the immense opportunity offered by the Dizengoff Farmers’ Kits to limit the foreign exchange spent on importing tomatoes annually while also providing employment for its teeming youths,” said Walumbe.

Antti Ritvonen, country manager and chief executive officer, Dizengoff Nigeria, said “we in Dizengoff want to revitalise the Nigerian agriculture and be part of the work in taking the country’s agriculture up and running again.