A farmer, Mr. Kolade Olawale, on Wednesday, called for the adoption of castor farming, especially by the youth, to boost agricultural production and reduce the rate of unemployment.
Olawale told NAN, in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, that castor farming could reduce the rate of unemployment by 50 per cent if given the needed financial backing and genuinely harnessed.
Olawale, who also specialised in castor oil processing, said Nigerian farmers could not meet up with the industrial need of castor oil in the next 50 years.
According to him, castor oil is an uncommon cash crop with a lot of residual income.
“It is also a crude oil plant that can boost the country’s economy by more than 50 per cent with adequate resources and very strong political will from all tiers of government.
“It is a tropical crop with over 3000 known usage. So, because of these, people from far places of the world do come to Africa to look for it.
“I said it is uncommon because we know next to nothing about it, yet it is living with us right inside our homes.
“When I decided to be a farmer, I wanted to do something uncommon and unique, so I started asking lots of questions.
“I stumbled on castor. I studied and researched and even went to seminars and workshops on it and now I have my castor farm running.
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“If Nigeria is spending N28 billion on castor oil, then that is where I want to be.
“Targeting a percentage of that total amount as my profit annually and anybody is free to do the same for our economy to grow,’’ he said.
Olawale described castor crop as perennial and a very dependable crop that is grown less in temperate or cool region of the world.
According to him, castor plants are not prone to theft like other known crops.
“Herdsmen avoid it like plaque because their cattle will die after eating castor leaves which are highly acidic.
“It is a rugged crop with less strenous attention. Castor plants only need little rainfall in all its gestation period.
“One hectare gives between one to one and a half tonnes of castor beans and the current market price per tonne is between N320,000 and N350,000,’’ he said.
Olawale urged the youths to take advantage of castor farming for them to be self-reliant, saying everyone could not be government employees.
He also called on governments to invest massively through establishment of castor processing companies to provide the needed market for farmers.
“There is the need for government to also provide necessary mechanical equipment for all-year-round farming.
“With these, there will be better life, not only for farmers but the society at large and also adequate increase in the country’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR),’’ Olawale said. (NAN)