Grape farmers appeal govt support for sufficiency, says demand is very high.

The Grape farmers in Nigeria have through its National president, Alhaji Abdullah Dalhatu appealed for government financial support to enhance mass production of the produce towards meeting local and international demands.

This was disclosed in an exclusive interview with Foodfarmnews during a visit to the President Grapes Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdullah Dalhatu in his grapes farm at Kwakaramanu area of Zaria, Kaduna State.

Alhaji Abdullahi Dalhatu said Nigeria was among the highest consumers of grape in Africa, adding that the high demands of the produce has necessitated the need to encourage its mass production for sufficiency.

Dalhatu  added that Nigeria also has the highest potential of being able to sufficiently produce grapes in Africa, pointed the need for enhanced technologies like irrigation and pest control inputs.

According to him “ we need government support in terms of an efficient source of water, improved access to inputs and financial support"

 He argued that developed countries have applied green house technology to enhance production which can be replicated here in Nigeria.

" You see developed countries have reached the extent that they can grow grapes inside the greenhouse. But here in Nigeria, grape growers cannot afford to establish such houses because it costs a lot, and having access to grow grapes in greenhouses will enable continuous production of grapes"

" The issue of storage is also important, we need the cold room to preserve our grapes after harvest. Losses due to lack of efficient storage has been short changing farmers of their 100 percent gain. There is a period we only get 25% outcome instead of 100%"

" I am sure with governments interventions on grapes, we will be able to overcome such challenges like other countries"

 Speaking on employment potential of the produce, the president said that " This farm has like 10 to 20 workers alone. This implies that when the government comes to support us, we'll have a lot of people coming to work”

 “ if Government comes to our aid it will help a lot as it will play a critical role in improving the economy of the country. It will help us tap into the potentials of grapes either through consumption or processing by the food industry"

" For example one stand of grapes is 50 kilogram.  Let's assume you sell at N2,000, and you have 100 stands, you can get N100,000 from each stand that is sold at N3,500 at super markets"

He described Nigeria as being the highest consumers in Africa saying that " if we are a major consumer it means the sector is big and can open up a whole lot for Nigeria's economy”.

“Grapes are very much unique crops because it's a long time investment. Grapes can last a minimum of 40 years to 100 after planting as minimum and that is why most of the developed countries engage in supporting their grape farmers with all the needed tools”