Stories - 15-12-2016
Increasing interest in quality vegetables
Dokun Ogunbodede has an agribusiness company in Nigeria, where he combines vegetable production with consulting and supplying input to other farmers. For the past few years he has been working together with Rijk Zwaan. Together they see great potential for agriculture in Nigeria.
Fresh produce
“In 2014 I built the first professional greenhouse in Nigeria. Thanks to Rijk Zwaan’s varieties I managed to produce top-quality vegetables. Vegetables are gradually becoming more popular, but it will take time to develop the market. Especially the younger generation is increasingly interested in health and freshness. With a population of more than 170 million people, there is enormous commercial potential.”
Challenging climate
"To utilise this potential we have to tackle some serious challenges in Nigeria. To start with, the hot and humid climate makes it difficult to grow produce. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge and a low availability of inputs. The whole industry is underdeveloped, which is why we want to cooperate with other companies and learn from experiences in other countries. We will also extend our cooperation with Rijk Zwaan: soon we will also start selling their seeds.”
Patience and motivation
“I am very ambitious to play a role in revolutionising the horticulture industry in my country. At the moment, Nigeria imports a lot of fresh produce from other parts of the world, like Asia, Europe and South Africa. But I am convinced that Nigeria is able to produce for itself too. In the last couple of years I’ve learnt what is really needed: facilities, seeds and advice that matches the local situation, and above all a lot of patience and motivation.”
Read more about Rijk Zwaan Breeding for Africa
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