From June to September 2019 1,000 tomato farmers participated in the Private Outgrower Scheme, which was organized by Agro Alala Nigeria Plc. and supervised by Salad Greenhouse (Worldwide) Ltd. The project involved growing tomatoes 100% organically with the liquid bio-fertilisers, Salad Green Bio-Plant and Salad Green Pro-Plant, which are manufactured in Bangkok, Thailand by Artemis & Angel Co. Ltd., and it was designed to train farmers how to carry out organic farming so that they can eradicate the use of agro-chemicals.
There were some challenges during the project, such as a shortage of rain and poor soil preparation, which resulted in some minor pest problems, but neem oil was used to deal successfully with the pests.
At harvest time the farmers were very happy with the results. The tomatoes were much larger and sweeter, and their yields were beyond their expectations – generally around 50% higher. Their yields before the project were poor. The farmers said that the use of chemical inputs had ruined their soil and that their yields were barely enough to feed their family. Indeed, the soil used for the project was very pale and dusty to begin with, but by the end of the project the soil had started to change noticeably.
