Green house farming is the growing and production of food crops in an enclosed environment to prevent intruders from coming in and eating up your crops or the kind of issues we have in open-field agriculture.
The greenhouse technology farming has become a major player in the global agriculture market as it plays a safe role in food security and sufficiency in food production. It boosts sufficiency in crop farming, even as it allows the crop to grow under a conducive space that regulates temperature and cooling systems.
The greenhouse farm is a type of farming in which crops are cultivated under-protected and enclosed environment, it enables farmers to cultivate because of climate conditions.
Speaking on this, CEO, CAV AgroVentures, Vincent Ojeah, says Greenhouse farming enables the farmer experience prolonged and multiple harvest within a planting cycle and simply put, it helps to reduce post harvest losses.
He notes that, greenhouse farming helps to reduce the risk of post harvest losses while boosting Returns on Investment (ROI) and increasing the farmers profits margins.
Ojeah reiterates that, most advanced and developed economies are heavy on greenhouse farming technology, stressing that, this has helped to impove the food security system of their economy while increasing their sufficiency in food supply.
While addressing the commercial viability of greenhouse farming, he states that the produce is highly commercial in nature due to the high breed crops that can be grown in them and the quality results that can emerge from growing them in the greenhouse.
He says, greenhouse farming is beneficial and has the commercial viability to produce crops that can respond while stating that the greenhouse is structured to regulate the temperature environment for plants by adding a cooling mechanism.
Business Capital/Profitability
Speaking on the profitability of greenhouse farming. Vincent explains that, a greenhouse farmer would make more money than an open field farmer on same portion of land, even though their cost of farming will differ.
He adds that, If a greenhouse farmer spends about N2.9million for construction, planting and maintenance of his farm for a period of 10months, he is certain to make about 35% profit(on bell peppers)at the end of 10 months but on the other hand, an open field farmer will not be able to plant any crop that will take him pass 5 months from the time of planting to final harvesting and this is due to the type of crops that can only be cultivated on open field as against the greenhouse.
“Starting a Greenhouse farming is highly capital intensive for small holder farmers but just like every other viable business which requires some level of capital to start up, so also greenhouse requires such level of capital but I can confidently say it is one of so many businesses that you are 95% certain you will start to see a good margin on your ROI in less than 2years,” he says.
He further maintains that, the cost Maintenance of a greenhouse farm, if well constructed, will last for at least 5years before few wears and tears set in.
Speaking further, Vincent Ojeah states that, CAV AGRO Ventures is committed to provide Agro support and encourage greenhouse farming to small holder farmers while administering support to repair farms, and support farmers around its community by means of enlightenment on the proper way of administering fertilizers and chemicals in their farms to help boost their productivity and also improving literacy levels of rural farmers on the use of modern farming tools.
