5.9. Sundrying of fruits, vegetables, drain, legumes root and tuber crops in Nigeria
- problems and prospects -

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- T.A. Taiwo

RESUME

The application of solar energy for the prevention of post harvest crop losses is a common practice among Nigerian farmers throughout the country Inspite of the age-long experience in the use of sundrying by Nigerian farmers, current post-harvest crop losses still reach as high as 30-50% for vegetables, fruits and some tuber crops. And this is happening in spite of various advances that have been made in solar-operated crop drying techniques currently in use elsewhere in the world.

The paper seeks therefore to discuss the situation of sundried farm products in Nigeria by highlighting the traditional sundrying methods and related problems. It draws attentions to ongoing research in the areas of sundrying and storage of farm products in Nigeria, and the possibilities of the Nigerian farmers benefitting by adapting tested new technologies found suitable elsewhere in the world.

INTRODUCTION

Grain legumes, fruits vegetables, root and tuber crops are produced in large quantities in Nigeria. Common vegetables and fruits include Amarantus spp, Celosia spp, Corchorus spp, water leaf, (Tilanum triangulare) among others. There are in the fruit class tomatoes, okra, sweet and hot peppers and onion bulbs. Fruits and vegetables are annual, biannual on multiple cropping crops, it is therefore common to see large quantities of these crops in the rural and urban markets.

Yam tubers and cassava roots are annual crops which are harvested mostly once year. Yams in a class seem to be much more seasonal than cassava roots. Similarly grain legumes, particularly the cowpeas and soyabeans are produced once a year although cowpeas could be cropped twice (with some risks) in the southern part of Nigeria which has a bimodal rainfall pattern.

The data in Table 1 would show that reasonable productions are obtained throughout the country for several crops annually. Except during occasions of severe drought, characteristic of dryland farming, the supply of fruits and vegetables are expected therefore to be adequate. The upsurge in the development of irrigation facilities by the River Basin Development Authorities and the Agricultural Development Projects (ADP's) to a large extent also help to estabilize production of the above crops.

Although production is high and it is currently being pushed higher through the Green Revolution Programmes of the present administration in the country, the basic problems of drying, processing, storage and distribution still make supply to fall short of demand nationally. Crop losses of between 30% - 50% are common shortly after harvest and this is particularly true for fruits and vegetable crops. This leads us to examine one basic tool which farmers all over the globe' and particularly Nigeria, have employ d, perhaps meagerly' to cut down post-harvest crop losses.

SITUATION OF DRIED FARM PRODUCTS IN NIGERIA

Sundrying of farm produce is a mayor method employed by farmers in Nigeria. As a country situated between 4 to 14 latitude north of the equator, Nigeria is, of course, abundantly blessed with all the-yearround solar radiation. It is common therefore to see in the rural and urban Nigerian markets sundried peppers; dry powdered okra, fairly sundried onion bulbs, and cowpeas. It is common too, to find dry Corchorus and water leaf, partly dehydrated oranges and plantains, sundried peeled and sliced yam tuber and semi-processed sundried cassava pulp. These tend to show that Nigerian farmers like their counterparts elsewhere in the world employ, among others, the solar energy to save their harvest.

The Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute have developed techniques for the storage of fruits vegetables and tubers particularly oranges, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, plantain, yam and cassava. These methods which are not strictly solar dependent, in come cases require high-energy like in refrigeration. They help however in preserving the crops for a period of 8 - 12 weeks without deterioration.

APPLICATION OF SUNDRYING AND RESEARCH

Effective application on sundrying methods is a function of the levels of technology and education to which the farmers are exposed far and beyond the technology they have evolved traditionally in their cultural settings. Again, application of any methods to save their harvests preharvest they know how and why such harvests are loaf. Information on the available traditional technologies of drying fruits, vegetables, grain legumes, roots and tuber crops in Nigeria as well as research findings and orientations on this topic in Nigeria are discussed in a separate paper to be presented by the experts of the National Horticultural Crops Research Institute of Nigeria. Their paper would contain details of the renewable in Nigeria that could be harnessed to effect simple modern and efficient crop drying and the possibilities of extending the technology to the farmers. It is pertinent to add, however, that Nigeria's projected demand and supply in 1985 for the crops under reference (Table 2), would support the need to extend available sundrying technologies to Nigerian farmers quickly to avert serous national deficits.

REHABILITATION OF TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES OF SUNDRYING IN NIGERIA

The Nigerian farmers and the government are conscious of the substantial crop losses in the farming industry especially in the areas of highly perishable products such as vegetable fruits, tubers and roots. The need for simple, low-input but reasonably effective crop drying and storage methods are better appreciated when it is realized that it is daily becoming more costly to produce the crops? and secondly the more the harvest the greater the losses. Reasonable estimates of crop losses in Nigeria for the crops being considered could be as high as 30-50%. This consequently creates a situation of erractic supply of necessary food nutrients for the rapidly expanding population. It needs to be emphasized however, that sundrying of crops is still a traditional method very much alive? and employed by farmers all over Nigeria. The gap between its potential and current uses lies only in the degree of modern sundrying technologies available to farmers, lack of articulated programmes designed to educate the farmers, and to extend the technologies to them. It also requires necessary financial, and technical support in terms of trained manpower? and effective monitoring and evaluation of the rate of adoption of the new technologies.

It is definite however that substantial crop losses would be averted? with the introduction of modern techniques of sundrying. The problems of issues to consider would include:

1. The components of the package to be introduced: A considerably non-import oriented package or technology would interest the Nigerian farmers, and of course, the govern, meet.
2. A good degree of freedom should be conceeded to the farmers to select from among tested and workable sundrying techniques what they would prefer. This should be done through extension demonstration methods.
3. Possible credit arrangements should be built into the package for the participating farmers.

The prospects of a successful rehabilitation programmes on sundrying techniques lie in the fact the average Nigeria farmer is an enthusiastic adopter of profitable modern techniques that are simple to apply and the capital costs of which fall within his financial scope.

TABLE 1 - ESTIMATED PRODUCTION OF SELECTED GRAIN LEGUMES FRUITS AND VEGETABLES ROOTS AND TUBERS IN NIGERIA

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Source: Compiled from "Fertilizer Use Series 1"
Federal Department of Agriculture Publication, 1980

TABLE 2 - PROJECTED SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF SELECTED FOOD CROPS AGAINST 1985 IN NIGERIA (1.000 METRIC TONNES)

Sources: The Green Revolutions A Food Production Plan For Nigeria -Volume 2

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