Irrigation farmers in Katsina State have made unprecedented revenues from cabbage production due to its high market demand in the state and beyond.
Many of the farmers did not envision the prospect of the crop. According to them, they just planted it to mitigate the high cost of production associated with tomato, Irish potato, onion or wheat
Abdullahi Garba, a farmer in Danja, said that for the past five years, he produced only tomato in two local government areas, but this year, he chose to cut cost by producing cabbage.
“For the past five years, I rented farms in Malumfashi and Kafur, in addition to what I have here in Danja, to produce tomato because of the high cost of fertiliser, pesticides and fuel. I decided to go for cabbage this year; and God being very kind, it yielded profit like never before,” he said.
Garba further said the best a farmer could sell a bag of cabbage last year was N6,000, but this year, he sold the same bag at N12,000.
“The crop requires watering at an interval of seven days, with a period of 90 days. Unlike tomato that needs numerous application of pesticides, cabbage needs pesticides and fertiliser at least two times. In one farm alone, I harvested cabbage of over N10 million at an average rate of N11,000 per bag,” he said.
Another farmer, Abashe Muntari, said the high market demand of cabbage this year was occasioned by galloping inflation in the country, especially food items.
“The high cost of food items has made cabbage to be part of menu in many households, not only for its nutritional value but the complimentary role it plays in many dishes,” he said.
Muntari added that a ball of cabbage cost between N200 and N700, depending on size, but it was between N100 and N300 last year.
“A bag was between N3,000 and N6,000 last year, yet farmers were still making profit. Now, inflation has affected almost everything, including the vegetable; hence it is now N12,000 and above,” he also said.
He further said that like tomato, this year, cabbage was transported to various markets in Lagos, Anambra, Rivers and Delta states.
Mohammed Bello, a vegetable farmer in Kafur, said that considering how irrigation farmers were struggling with the cost of production of various crops, there would be a tendency for farmers to plant cabbage en masse next year.
He said, “We are always strategising to minimise cost; and if there is no significant improvement in the economy, particularly the cost of fuel and inputs, many of us will plant cabbage. Onion and potato have high market value, but they require huge capital to invest.”
He added that cabbage had low cost of production and if well managed, it would give high yield and revenue; but concentration of its production by many farmers might lead to shortage of other produce in the markets.
