By Peter Uwumarogie
TOMATO and Pepper dealers in Bula community in Akko Local Government Area, Gombe state, said they earned more than N12 million daily from selling the commodities in their community.
Malam Khalifa Bello, the Chairman of Vegetables Sellers Association in the community, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday.
Bello said that the agribusiness had provided jobs for youths within and outside the community and also had empowered the residents economically.
He said that since the commencement of harvest, tomatoes and peppers worth millions of Naira were being transported out of the community to various parts of the country daily.
The chairman said that 700 baskets of tomatoes and 200 bags of different pepper types were being transported out of the community daily.
According to him, the harvest and transportation of the vegetables will continue till December.
“On daily basis, from this market, residents make at least N12 million in total from tomato and pepper trade.
“This is small compared to the peak of harvest which could put the money generated from this market at more than N50 million every day.
“We started harvesting two weeks ago. The harvest will continue till December, and then we will go into other businesses,” he said.
Bello said a basket of tomatoes which sold for between N25, 000 and N30, 000 at the commencement of harvest, was now being sold for between N10,000 and N15, 000, depending on the quality.
While a bag of pepper, which went for N80, 000 was now sold for between N55, 000, and N60, 000 at the market, depending on types.
Bello said the commodities were being taken to Akure (Ondo State), Abuja, Nasarawa State, Jos (Plateau), Kano, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States.
He said that at the peak of harvest, which coming up in the next 14 days, not less than 50 buses and cars loaded with the vegetables leave the community daily.
Also, Malam Mohammed, the Chairman of Labourers Association, Bula community, said that no fewer than 75 youths were working in various sections of the trade.
Mohammed said their jobs ranges from bringing the commodity from the farms, packaging and loading the items into the buses and cars.
He said his members work daily from morning till night carrying loads and earning between N4,500 and N5, 000 per labourer on daily basis.
They appealed to the Gombe State government to build a modern market in the community.
According to them, the facility will help standardise the marketing of the vegetables and other agricultural produce as well as providing farmers with the platform to centralise the selling of the commodity.
NAN reports that the different types of pepper growing in the community include bell pepper (Tatashe), chili, Cayenne pepper (shombo) and Scotch bonnet (hot pepper).
Also, aside tomato and pepper, Bula community also cultivates maize, sorghum, millet, beans, sugarcane and Guava amongst others. (NAN)
