OCP Africa, Syngenta Foundation Partners to Drive Tomato Production in Nigeria

OCP Africa, Syngenta Foundation Partners to Drive Tomato Production in Nigeria

Gilbert Ekugbe

The OCP Africa, a global leading company in the production and exportation of phosphate-based fertilizers, has deepened its partnership with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), to boost tomato production in Nigeria.

The partnership, according to the OCP, would also enhance Nigeria’s food security by enhancing tomato production techniques and creating a viable and sustainable business model and linkages around the value chain.

The OCP Africa’s Head of Business Development and Digital Projects, Mr. Akintunde Akinwande, disclosed this at the 2021 onboarding and training workshop held in Kano for the hub managers and extension agents also known as Agripromoters.

Akinwande said so that 20 greenhouses have been established across major tomato production areas in Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Abuja, with over 20,000 farmers accessing quality seedlings and inputs as well as good agricultural practice trainings on modern production techniques as well as linkages to off take markets and processors.

Akinwande said that the two organisations entered the partnership to leverage their capacities and experience to address challenges that hampered the improvement and consistency in quality of farm yields and two years down the line, he is happy to say their objectives are gradually being achieved thus presenting a proof of concept for future expansion to new areas.

Both organisations leveraged on their flagship projects through the merging of OCP Africa’s Farm and Fortune Hub (FFH) model and SFSA’s Farmers Hub (FH) model.

He added that in two years the partnership has empowered 20 hub managers to raise over six million seedlings at the greenhouses, with the hub managers earning revenues of over N30 million from the sales of seedlings and other inputs. This has also resulted in the creation of about 300 direct jobs.

SFSA-Nigeria’s Country Program Manager and Training Coordinator, Mr. Gabriel Isaiah, said the project focused on raising healthy seedling to produce vegetables through innovative skills among others as the availability of good seeds and seedlings, quality fertilizer, crop protection and good nursery management are essential.

Isaiah implored the hub managers to pay keen attention because they are going to be ambassadors of the scheme wherever they go and this was why they were picked to be trained so that they will be able to train others.

Isaiah added that success of the partnership in the last two years has motivated both organisations to explore opportunities to scale the reach to other parts of the country. The plan for the coming year, he said, is to extend the reach to South-west states as well.

Speaking at the event, the Hub Manager in Makoda Kano, Musa Usman, appreciated OCP Africa/ SFSA for this laudable initiative, as he said he was ready to effectively put the greenhouse given to him to good and profitable use.

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