Original Story Published by: Vincent A. Yusuf for the Daily Trust
Increased strawberry farming on the plateau has dispelled previously held belief that it could not be grown in Nigeria.
Nigeria has huge potential for strawberry cultivation, thanks to favourable agro-ecological weather conditions.
Since the cultivation started few years ago, strawberry has now found love in the hearts of the people of Chaha community and it is now the most important produce that shapes the economic power of the farmers.
Chaha, which is located at the outskirt of Vom in Jos South LGA of Plateau State, is home to large numbers of farmers with only a few people in the community not cultivating the heart-shaped fruit.
This reporter went back to see if the farmers he met a few years ago are still farming the fruit and discovered that although the farmers have expanded their farms significantly, the challenges they face are still unresolved.
Elvis Choji, and his cousin, Isaac Choji, have remained in cultivation since our reporter met them in 2016 and have even expanded their farms.
Elvis’s father, Christopher Choji, a civil servant based in Abuja, has also joined in the cultivation and seems to find better market for his product elsewhere, Elvis said.
The cost of fertiliser and insecticides to combat termites, have made it difficult for many of the smallholder farmers in the community to grow.
Besides cost of fertiliser and insecticides, the cost of getting water to the farm as well as controlling rodents that destroy the plants are some other challenges the farmers face.
With regard to market for their product, many of the farmers still rely heavily on the local women who come to buy the product to hawk along the major Jos highways. Few, however, manage to get theirs to major super markets in Jos and Abuja.
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