CEO, King Aliba Farms explains why is planting exotic crops

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.

How do you get your seeds?

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.

What is the economic importance of the exotic vegetables?
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.