A renowned pineapple farmer, Osemwonghogho Henry, has said that lack of government attention is affecting pineapple farming in the country.
But the graduate of Economic Education, said despite that, pineapple farming is a money spinner and urged the youths to take advantage of it.
Henry, who is farming in Iguokaikhen Community in Ovia South-west Local Government Area of Edo State, lamented that pineapple farmers are finding it difficult to access loans from financial institutions for expansion.
“I have applied for loans about five times in three years in different commercial banks but I haven’t gotten any.
“So, one of the major challenges we have is lack of access to loans because the government does not recognise pineapple farming the same way it is doing with rice, palm oil and others. This makes it difficult for us to access either grant or loan from the financial institutions.
“We also have the challenge of manpower, as it is difficult now to get labourers to work on our farms and the few available are on the high side in terms of cost,” he said.
According to him, there is also the issue of security in the farms, especially when the price is on the high side, as hoodlums go there at night to harvest pineapple.
He said a dozen of pineapples cost between N7,000 and N8,000 now and because of that, people now steal the produce.
He explained that usually pineapple is scarce between August and October.
Get seedlings for planting and other inputs
Henry said the issue of seedling is not a major challenge, as the youths can easily get the suckers.
He said, “Overtime, our parents were into pineapple farming but not on a large scale. We took it up from there and continued.
“As we continue, we get the suckers (seedlings) from our farms and continue to expand. So, we get seedlings from our farms.
“For us the farmers, it is cheap but for those buying, it is not that cheap. A sucker costs N50 while 1,000 suckers will cost N50,000”.
He lamented that pineapple farmers are not benefiting from inputs’ intervention from both the state and the federal governments.
“Whatever inputs and chemicals we use are from our pockets. The chemical that we used in the farm is about N27,000 for one litre while those in sachets cost from N11,000 and above,” he said.
How new comers can excel in pineapple farming
He said, “For a new pineapple farmer, he has to get the land for planting, after that, employ labourers to clear it then, look for suckers for planting”.
He noted that pineapple farming is easier if one has enough capital.
“If you have enough capital, it is very easy to start, and it depends on the number of hectares. For instance, if you want to start about two hectares, N2 million will be enough and once you succeed in the first year, it will not be difficult for you going forward.”
He explained further that, “In planting, you have to give a space of four to five meters if you don’t have much seedlings but some people will space a foot and a half.
“But for me, I plant two feet and half to three feet because if they are too close, you will only enjoy the produce the first year and the second year. After that, the size of the pineapples will reduce.
“But if you are able to reduce it to two to three feet, the pineapple will maintain the size for at least four to five years before it will start depreciating.”
He said though there is no season for planting, it is usually done in March, April and May.
“There is no real planting season for pineapple. You can plant any time. It is just that most people plant between March and May. But some people start planting by November.”
He advised new farmers to start plating by November, noting that pineapple takes between 15 to 18 months to mature for harvest.
Market for pineapple
According to him, there is a market for pineapple across the country and that the farmers do not need to look for buyers.
“In the beginning, it is somewhat difficult but as time goes on, it is the traders that will be coming to the farms to buy from you.
“If you take the product to the market, it is the traders that will help you to market them,’’ he said.
Henry, however, advised anyone venturing into pineapple farming to be determined and patient, assuring that they will smile once they start harvesting.
“I called on the youths to venture into pineapple farming so that we could form an association and see whether the government would recognise us and also assist in getting access to loans and inputs”, he added.
He also called on the government to come to the aid of pineapple farmers by providing silos so that they can store their produce and avoid glut.
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