The vegetable and potato sector in Nigeria : an overview of the present status

Abstract

Agricultural cooperation between Nigeria and the Netherlands is increasing. The development of the vegetable, potato and seed sectors has high priority as they are key sources of income and nutrition. Feeding the increasing population and becoming less dependent on oil revenues are key challenges for Nigeria. The agricultural cooperation and development between the Netherlands and Nigeria is increasing and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) aspires to enhance its trade and investment programme in support of the agri-food sector of Nigeria.Lack of good quality seeds is a key focus of this increased cooperation as it is considered a constraint to agricultural development in Nigeria. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality intend to develop a four-year integrated programme on vegetable, potato and seed sector development, concentrating in the first instance on Kaduna, Kano and Plateau States. These sectors are considered a high priority to the development of vegetable and potato cultivation and value chain development, both for improving earning and employment opportunities of farmer families and improving nutrition.This report provides an overview of the vegetable, potato and seed sectors in Nigeria to inform the discussion on the design of the programme to support the horticultural sector in Nigeria. The overview is based on a combination of desk research, stakeholder interviews and a field visit. The first findings were discussed and validated during a two-week mission in Nigeria in September 2019. The report has been updated with the information and insights of this mission. Also SWOT analyses were conducted on the potato and vegetable sectors and actual seed prices of various suppliers and retail prices of the main vegetables were collected.

Gender Differentials for Participation in Producer Organization Among Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from Nigeria

“…Despite the significant contribu�on of smallholder farmers in Nigeria's agriculture, they are technically excluded from the formal market as over 65% of food sales are done through the informal market (Plaisier et al, 2019). Worst s�ll is the gendered patern of smallholder agricultural exclusivity which reflects the overall gender dispari�es in Nigeria.…”

“…In Nigeria, tomatoes and potatoes are well cul�vated by smallholder farmers (Plaisier et al, 2019). The country is the highest producer and fourth largest producer of tomatoes and potatoes respec�vely in sub-Saharan Africa (Obisesan, 2021;Ibrahim, et al, 2021).…”

Analysis of Financial Profitability of Tomato Growers in Taraba State, Nigeria

“…The goals of this sector policy change were to improve tomato import substitution, promote investment in the national tomato processing industry, generate jobs, and help to the elimination of massive post-harvest losses (Edeh, 2017). This initiative is targeted at the country's major tomato growing areas and Kano State, which generates around 7.5% (44,020 Ha) of the nation's total area under tomato production (Plaisier et al, 2019), was one of the places where this approach was predicted to stimulate favorable benefits.…”

Improvement on yield of onion (Allium cepa L.) using different rates of organic manure and sowing seasons in South Eastern Nigeria

“…The bulbous vegetable crop may be grown professionally in most regions of the world, and onion farming is recognized to be a lucrative sector that employs a lot of labors (Havey and Ghavami 2018). They are traded extensively both within and between nations around the world (Plaisier et al, 2019). It is a significant spice and one of Nigeria's top five vegetables (FAO, 2017).…”