Nigeria’s inability to farm fruits all year round and carry out extensive research and development are major constraints to the nation’s $10 billion fruit industry.
Nigeria could save as much as N165 billion, which is the yearly estimated spend on the importation of fresh fruits and juices, create jobs for its teeming youth and reduce pressure on the naira, if the country starts farming fruits all year round.
“We need to start farming fruits and every agricultural product all year round. Farmers need irrigation facilities and access to finance, to achieve this, as it is done in other nations of the world,” Sanusi Daud, Manager, Dangote Farms told BusinessDay, in a response to questions by telephone.
Some key industry players who spoke with BusinessDay, stated that the issue of seasonality in fruit farming can be addressed if the government can revive dams and irrigation facilities across the country. They urged government to partner with the private sector on the maintenance and management of dams across the country for improved functionality.
“Government should partner with the private sector for effective utilisation of the dams. The government cannot do it all alone,” said Emmanuel Ijewere, vice president, Nigeria Agribusiness Group.
Ijewere noted that all year round farming depends on the functionality of the dams.
Prince Oyefeso, chief executive officer of Oyefeso Farms, said, “the issues with the dams are the reason why farmers still depend on rain-fed agriculture.
“The few dams that are functional are underutilised. If the government is really serious about reviving agriculture, then it must ensure that all dams across the country are functional and utilised fully,” said Oyefeso.
He observed that without the revitalisation of dams, government would not achieve its goal of economic diversification through agriculture.
Nigeria has a total of 264 dams with a combined storage capacity of 33 BCM of water for multipurpose uses. Two hundred and ten of the dams are owned by the Federal Government, 34 by the states and 20 by private organisations, according to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
BusinessDay investigations show that Dadin Kowa dam in Gombe State, Wase dam in Kano, Warwade dam in Jigawa, Kazaure dam in Jigawa, Auyo dam in Jigawa, Oyan dam in Ogun and Alau dam in Borno are among those that are functional.
The country currently has irrigation land potential of about 3.1 million hectares, out of which only 150,000 hectares have been developed, according to a document on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources’ website.
Daud of Dangote Farms adds that,“The Nigerian fruit industry is worth about $10 billion, yet you do not find a lot of orchards in the country and this is because we lack adequate research and development (R&D) in the subsector, which is very critical for the growth of the industry.
“There are hybrid seeds for fruits with shorter gestation periods now but you do not get them easily in Nigeria. Farmers still farm with seeds of longer gestation period,” said Daud.
The Nigerian market for fruit juice is estimated to grow by more than 20 percent this year, due to the rising preference among consumers for natural fruit juices and high population growth rate.
“The cocktail industry is growing very fast and we use a lot of fruits in our industry. One of the most sought after cocktail juices is the mango cocktail, but we can only have it for our customers when mangoes are in season,” said Jumoke Ojo, creative director, MandiesCocktails Limited.
“We need to start farming fruits all year round, like South Africa and other countries, where you get any fruit you want, irrespective of the season. Nigerians are now consuming more of natural fruit juices and this means more business for us if we can source them locally,” Ojo said.
Due to the huge demand for fresh fruits in the country, juice makers in Nigeria go to the extent of importing fruits to satisfy demand.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) estimates that Nigeria imports N165 billion worth of fruit juices every year.
With the present situation, farmers of oranges and other fruits like pineapples and watermelon will have to compete for market share, already saturated with fruits from other neighbouring countries.
In 2002, the Federal Government banned the importation of fruit juices into the country. This gave farmers hope for a prosperous time in the farming sector and marketing of fruits in the country.
“We import lots of fruits from Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Ghana and a few other West African countries, when fruits are out of season in Nigeria,” said AfricaFarmer Mogaji, chief executive officer, X-ray Farms Consulting Limited.
Nigeria has a wide range of fruits, including oranges, guavas, pineapples, avocado, bananas, water melons and pawpaw, amongst others.
Each year, millions of tonnes of these fruits are harvested in Nigeria but a good percentage of them go down the drain as wastages, due to poor market access and poor storage facilities.
Most of the fruits in the country are farmed in the middle belt region, with traders buying and conveying them to various parts of the country, especially areas with high consumption.
Nigeria is currently the ninth producer of citrus fruits and mango production in the world, with 3.4 million MT and 850,000MT respectively, according to data from Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
Josephine Okojie
