Kuda Gangara Integrated Tomato Farm, a project by Caraway (an Olam group company) in Jigawa State, has recorded its first commercial harvest at 40 tons per hectare, exceeding earlier projections. The 500-hectare tomato farm investment’s yield is also more than four times the average yield in Nigeria.
Out of the 500 hectares, 100 hectares have been cultivated, and yields from the first commercial harvest have exceeded the initial projection which was 30 tons per hectare. When the complete 500 hectare expanse is cultivated, overall production would be over 15,000 tons from the commercial farm alone. The project also runs a farmer out-grower program that covers over 2000 farmers currently.
About 18,000 tons of concentrate per annum is required by Caraway, but with the current backward integration efforts, the shortfall in sourcing inputs will be reduced.
Source: tribuneonlineng.com