Teso farmers tipped of growing vegetables

Jun 21, 2017

There is a high demand for them in the market

Farmers have been encouraged to grow vegetables around their compounds at home in order to get rid of food shortage and poverty.

Arnold Okiring the academic registrar, Institute of Agriculture, Business and Technology (AGRIBUTEC) in Serere district urged the general public to engage in vegetable growing to curb the problem of shortage of food in their households.

Okiring said vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, pumpkin, and watermelon, among others get ready in a short period of time hence saving one from famine.

"Vegetables take only three to fourth months to get ready and one will be able to make a bumper harvest in a small piece of land" said Okiring.

Siddy Alum Otim, the head of department, crop production in AGRIBUTEC said vegetable growing is the easiest way of eliminating famine and poverty in Teso.

Alum added that one small plot of tomatoes, pumpkin, onions, cucumbers, eggplant can make one survive and take his or her children to school.

She urged locals to embrace vegetable growing following the high demand for them in the market.

"This very season three weeks back one tomato was going at 200 shillings in most of the Teso markets" said Alum.

Alum explained that if a farmer has 500 plants of tomatoes which may produce 20 tomatoes and in total fetch up to sh2m.

Alum encouraged farmers to engage in vegetable growing and manage them very well by spraying in time, pruning, mulching and irrigating where necessary.

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