NEPC commends Wells Hosa for using technology to produce tomato
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has hailed an indigenous producer of tomato, Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farms Limited, for deploying greenhouse technology to produce exportable tomatoes.
Olusegun Awolowo, executive director, NEPC, said the technology would enable Nigeria to start exporting tomatoes, thereby ending the era of tomato diseases.
He said this at the first harvest launch of Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farms Limited in Edo State.
“The company wants to create wealth for the people in Edo State and also job opportunities. It is a good idea to use the green house technology, because all-year-round, they would be growing and you can see the massive project he has embarked on and I believe if it is not the biggest in Africa it will be the biggest in West Africa. From green house technology, you will not get any form of tomato diseases because they are covered and restricted and those are the kind of tomatoes we can export because it is easy to get into supermarkets across the world.”
He said the number of local tomato producers had increased, courtesy of the federal government’s ease of doing business, expressing hope that more local products would find their way on the shelves of Nigeria’s stores and supermarkets across the country.
“This technology will help to satisfy our local consumption and already most of our stores and supermarkets are filled with made-in-Nigeria goods because everybody is now producing and the ones that their goods are export-certified would be taken abroad,” he said.
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for agriculture, said the Federal Government had endorsed greenhouse farming to boost food production in the country, saying that before the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, agriculture was seen as a government’s programme, but stressed that with Wells HosaGreenHouse Farms initiative, Nigerians were seeing it as a business and investment.
Idahosa Wells Okunbo, chairman, Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farms Limited, said agriculture was key to changing the Nigerian narrative, pointing out that with green house technology, the country could produce quality and exportable products for local and global needs while also creating wealth and job opportunities in the country.
“People are seeing tomatoes, but I am seeing more than tomatoes. I am seeing jobs for the youths and empowerment. I am seeing food security for the country and export of our tomatoes to earn foreign exchange. It is a project that is scalable and which we can also replicate across the country. Regardless of the weather, we can produce all kinds of tomato fruits and vegetable obtainable anywhere in the world. For me, it is a breakthrough and I thank God for using me as a vehicle to make this project achievable. Our narrative in Nigeria has to change. For me, agriculture is the only way we can change our narratives, create jobs for our children, and attain our manifest destiny”, Okunbo, a retired military officer, said.