Abuja: The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has announced plans to unveil the Afritropic Greenhouse Farms by December to ensure year-round availability of fresh, hygienic vegetables for residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring states. The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Mr. Cornelius Adebayo, revealed this during an inspection of the ongoing construction of the greenhouse farms, which will consist of 20 units in Abuja.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, each greenhouse unit is designed to produce between two and three tonnes of vegetables, including pepper, tomato, and other horticultural crops. The farms will feature facilities such as a packing house, humid cooling system, solar-powered boreholes, cold storage, overhead stanchions, drip irrigation systems, and security infrastructure. This initiative aims to decentralise vegetable production, reduce transportation costs and post-harvest losses, and address challenges associated with horticulture.

Mr. Adebayo highlighted that the greenhouse farms are intended to improve access to year-round hygienic vegetables for residents of the FCT and neighbouring states, eliminating the scarcity of tomatoes and peppers during the lean season. Similar greenhouse farms are also under construction along the Lagos-Epe-Sagamu Expressway to cater to Lagos and Ogun States.

Additionally, Adebayo disclosed that land clearing for open-field vegetable cultivation is underway across 20 selected locations nationwide. Approximately 10 hectares will be cleared in each federal constituency and allocated to women farmers. The locations include Cross River, Taraba, Gombe, Kwara, Katsina, Plateau, and Oyo States, among others. Each site will be equipped with cold storage, a packing house, and irrigation facilities.