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| Mr Ndjovu's Greenhouse |
A professional accountant has turned his residence, on Dar es Salaam
outskirts, into a profitable tomato greenhouse farm, earning about 1m/- a
month.
The farm, which is at its initial stages, is expected to produce
tomatoes worth of 20m/- a week at its final stages through plastic greenhouse
farming.
The accountant, Mr Benno Ndjovu, said he had invested 7m/- for the
single greenhouse in construction of the house using local materials and drip water
irrigation system.
“I came to realise that greenhouse farming pays more than my
profession,” Mr Ndjovu said while hoping to decrease Dar es Salaam’s dependence
of upcountry in tomato supply.
The accountant-cum-commercial farmer said making profit out of the land
needs one to farm scientifically by timely applying the required inputs.
“The knowledge I gathered around about farming, drove me to think that
the majority of vegetable growers are using a lot of energy with minimum
output,” the farmer said.
The greenhouse that occupies an area of 12 metres wide by a length of
42 metres produces an average of 10 crates of tomatoes a week in six months,
which currently are fetching 25,000/- per crate. He localised the greenhouse,
which its main structure used local materials, had cost 7m/-.
One plant has a potential of producing up to 15 kg at first harvest,
going up to 60 kg by the time it has completed its full cycle after six months.
It has high yields and longer shelf-life of 21 days compared with 14
for those grown in the open. The plant vines are supported inside the
greenhouse with sticks and special strings, imported from Kenya, growing up to
50 metres in height.
“The advantages of greenhouse farming are that production goes on
throughout the year and does not depend on rain. The risk of diseases is also
lower compared to open farming,” Mr Ndjovu said.
According to research, tomatoes have been grown in greenhouses for
nearly 100 years. For this reason, there are many techniques for growing
tomatoes in a greenhouse and much has been written on greenhouse tomatoes.
Greenhouses, where plants are grown, heats up because of incoming
visible solar radiation for which the glass or plastic is transparent. During
rain seasons tomato production is low due to destruction of flowering process
or clogging causing plants to rot and in turn push up the prices.
The costs of farming at greenhouses are low compared to the open
farming. For instance, he said, the costs at most, including paying his farm
manager and two assistants and inputs are not exceeding 30 per cent. In
comparison with poultry keeping, he said greenhouse farming pays more as it
needs little capital and is not time consuming compared to the former.
“What it needs most is plenty of water. Without water any commercial
farming is unprofitable,” he said, adding “in a short period I am telling you,
I will be able to load a five-tonne Fuso per week”.
In Dar es Salaam, the
greenhouse is the first one in the city. However, another
would-be-greenhouse-farmer in Kinyerezi has borrowed a leaf from Mr Ndjovu.
The second farm has started and expects to start producing in the next
60 days. A system developed by the Kenya Horticulture Development Programme
(KHDP), a grower requires about 240 square metres of land and a greenhouse kit
to get started.
The cheapest kit, according to KHDP, comprising a 500-litre water tank,
irrigation drip lines, plastic sheet, seeds and chemicals has been put at 2,250
US dollars (about 3.6m/-) for one to start farming and a plot of land can grow
1,000 plants.
“It takes a shorter period (two months) for greenhouse-produced
tomatoes to mature, while it takes a minimum of three months with outdoor
farming,” Mr Ndjovu said. Mr Ndjovu is an agricultural entrepreneur. He plans
to establish five hectares of greenhouse farms in Dar es Salaam. He said he
will be able to supply 2,000 crates of fresh tomatoes a week, which is about 10
light trucks a week.
But his dreams are not coming forth as he wishes because obtaining
agriculture loans from commercial banks prohibits him to realise his goals. The
accountant-cum-farmer also has 200 hectares farm of mangos in Kibaha as well
and paddy in Kisarawe without mentioning his five class-room size poultry
building.
Source: The Daily News,http://www.dailynews.co.tz, reported by Abduel Elinaza
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