The Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) King Aliba Farms has thrown more light on the economic
importance of exotic fruits and vegetable to health and food security saying is
very popular among the rural people in the country. Read his excerpt with us
the convention of the organic stakeholders at Abuja.
Can you introduce yourself sir?
I am Taoheed Bala Usman, the Chief Executive, King Aliba
Farms, a farmer and government worker.
What are exotic vegetables and why do you choose farming exotic
vegetables?
Exotic vegetable are plant that is consumed by humans as food
for its nutritional value to health. Africans made use of edible fruits, and
seeds of this plant species are grown in the wild as weeds. These edible plants
were well-known to the rural communities and were often collected from the wild
and planted at home gardens as intercrops with staples. Exotic vegetables are
consumed by the rural populations for nutrition and food security. The hidden
potential of indigenous fruits and vegetables needs to be exploited to play a
pivotal role in solving malnutrition, food insecurity and poverty challenges
facing Africa. China is the largest producer of
vegetables, and global trade in agricultural products allows consumers to
purchase vegetables grown in far away countries. The scale of production varies
as subsistence farmers supplying the needs of
their family for food, to agribusinesses with vast acreages of
single-product crops. Depending on the type of vegetable concerned, harvesting
the crop is followed by grading, storing, processing and marketing. I chose to
go into exotic farming because exotic plants are rare to find, and the
vegetables are good source of health, for the body growth. They are hardly seen
around; we have to import the seeds from India. These vegetables can be eaten
either raw or cooked, and is playing an important role in human nutrition,
being mostly low in fat and carbohydrates, but high in vitamins, minerals and
fiber. Many governments encourage their citizens to consume plenty of fruit and
vegetables, five or more portions a day are often recommended.
We get our seeds from outside Nigeria, we specify on what we
want, before it is sent as there are organic and inorganic seeds, so you have
to specify, although they have tags on them, so it’s your choice. For instance
King Aliba Farmers is into exotic vegetables, which are rare to find here in
Nigeria.
Can you mention some of the exotic vegetables?
We have Bitter Gourd, Ivy etc.
Can organic sustain food security?
Yes organic Agriculture can sustain food security and even
feed the world because it is the surest way for better agriculture which is
also based on the principle for good health and also create employment
opportunity for local people thereby increasing global and local trade. Organic
farming has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security by
improving nutritional intake and sustaining livelihoods in rural areas. Families
can be encouraged into farming this kind of vegetable because of its nutitional
values and economic empowerment at the backyard gardens. Having a vegetable garden or plot means your children will
be eating the fresh vegetables, and plenty of them to sell too.
What is the health benefit of the exotic vegetable?
With particular reference to food security and nutrition, exotic
vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and a good source of an
anti-oxidant to the body. It increases palatability and adds varieties to
diets, especially those of the poor. They are particularly valuable sources of
food nutrients during emergency periods such as flood, famine, drought and war.Exotic
vegetables have medicinal properties and health benefits. Spiderplant (Cleome
gynandra), for example, has been reported to relieve constipation and
facilitate child birth, while African nightshade (Solanumscabrum) has been
documented to cure stomach ache .They are also known to contain substantial
amounts of antioxidants to harmful radicals, which have been linked to ailments
such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, there
are still plenty of uncommon fruits and vegetables out there that are yet to be
fully introduced.
In various parts of Africa it has revealed that exotic vegetables provide employment opportunities and generate income for the rural population.
What are the challenges so far?
Despite their advantages, exotic vegetables have not been fully exploited in Africa. The introduction of exotic fruits and vegetables on the continent had some negative impact on the consumption, domestication and cultivation of indigenous fruits and vegetables.
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