A company, Easy Trust Nigeria Ltd., says it will engage 5,000 farmers to cultivate tomatoes in Kaduna State during the dry season.
“We have made available 500 hectares of land for the project located in Chukun Local Government Area of Kaduna State,’’ Mr Musa Simon, Managing Director of the company said on Monday in Kaduna.
Simon said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the initiative was under the company’s Gladfore Programme, designed to empower people through agriculture.
He explained that under the programme, a 667 square meter plot would be divided into four and rented out to farmers at N850 per space.
Simon said that an individual would be allocated a minimum of four spaces to cultivate tomatoes, adding that interested persons can participate with or without money.
According to him, the company would do the clearing, harrowing, and provide needed seeds and inputs at the cost of N15, 000 or less, to be paid by farmers after harvest.
“This means that for every 15,000 invested per base, one is sure of making between N15,000 to N35,000 gain and all the farmers would do is take care of the tomatoes and watch them grow to harvest, “he said.
He however said that farmers were at liberty to sell the produce and repay the company’s initial N15,000 either in cash or with tomatoes.
Simon said that farmers interested in the scheme would have to register with the company after opening a bank account.
“We already have more than a thousand people that have registered and more are still coming.
“Our goal is to empower individuals economically through agriculture.
“Our desire is to add value to people’s life and grow Nigeria’s economy through agriculture such that in the long run, the pride of agriculture would be restored in the country, “he said.
The general manager disclosed that the company plan to set up a tomato processing plant in the area by 2018.
