The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has taken a significant step to combat the current tomato shortage and rising prices by planting over two hectares of tomatoes.
The seedlings were initially cultivated in 600 trays, each holding 105 seedlings by the Farm Practical Year (FPY) students, at the Soilless Farm, Ogun State and they have successfully transplanted more than 60,000 tomato seedlings into the Farm.
During an inspection visit on June 23, 2024, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the tomato project.
He highlighted the dual benefits of the project, saying that it would address the immediate market needs and also provide hands-on agricultural education for the students.
The harvest is expected by the end of September 2024, which should help alleviate some of the market pressures faced by both consumers and sellers.
This is a bold step by FUNAAB