May 29, 2019
Agric DigestNewsTrending
Vegetable farming happens to be one of the easiest Agriculture to engage in. Any kind of edible vegetable is always in hot demand all year round. One good example is Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) popularly known as Ugu in Igbo and across Nigeria.
Ugu vegetables are by far, the most consumed vegetable of any kind in Nigeria. An acre size Ugu farm is capable of turning in above N500,000 and it will take you less than N60,000 to cultivate one-acre farm of pumpkin vegetable. Quickly, let me share four common vegetables we have here in Nigeria and their potential benefits.
Like earlier mentioned, Pumpkin vegetable is the most consumed vegetable by Nigerians of all class. It is used to prepare varieties of dishes and it’s very nutritious too. When you talk about soup in Nigeria, you are directly talking about Ugu because almost all Nigerian soups are cooked with this vegetable.
Apart from cooking, pumpkin vegetable has been known to increase the volume of the red blood cell when consumed fresh, without being cooked. The blood enhancing nutrients gives it the ability to expand the volume of your blood at a very short time after consumption.
It is, of course, natural for a vegetable of these benefits and usage to be in high demand. Anyone who can cultivate Ugu, is definitely going to make good money selling it to market women. Ugu can be cultivated in every part of Nigeria due to the plant’s tolerant of drought and poor soil.
Okra, which is popularly known as the lady’s finger and gumbo in many English speaking countries is a very nutritious edible green pod vegetable. When sliced, the okra’s edible green seed pods produce a slippery sticky substance that makes the soup thick, smooth, and delicious. My personal experience with okra shows that eating fresh vegetable soup prepared with plenty of okra can relieve constipation and increase digestion.
Okra contains a good amount of Vitamin-A and is known to be anti-oxidant due to its good content of beta-carotene. It is also rich in Vitamin-C, Vitamin-K, and some form of Vitamin-B Complexes. Like Fluted Pumpkin, it tolerates all kinds of soil.
Cabbage is another popular vegetable in Nigeria and is popularly used to prepare salads. The only part of the plant that is normally eaten is the rounded leafy head (the spherical cluster of immature leaves) excluding the partially unfolded outer leaves. Because of its spicy flavor, Cabbage is used in a variety of dishes and is widely consumed raw as well. It is in high demand in Nigeria and sells for a reasonably good price.
Cabbage really does not like the sun, it grows better in a cold environment but must get at least 6 hours of sunlight every day. It grows well on a well fertile, well-drained manured soil.
Great skin starts with Cucumber. This is because, cucumber and skin are known to share the same level of hydrogen content, which makes it easier for cucumber to deal with the skin problems by engulfing them. It works well in a soothing, softening, and relaxing your skin very quickly.
Cucumber can be eaten raw and can be used for the preparation of different kinds of food in Nigeria. Cultivating this vegetable will surely put money into your pockets. Cucumbers like every other vegetable like soil that is well-drained and rich in organic matter, but don’t stress about the soil conditions. Cucumbers are hearty plants and easy to grow. Just make sure they have full sunlight and soil that is rich in organic matter.
Kindly note that vegetables are a good source of minerals and vitamins and should be part of your daily diet.