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Can I just take a second to explain something?
*breathes deeply*
Ok. Many folks ask why I don’t farm year round in greenhouses and process those tomatoes, rather than growing tomatoes in the open field and processing only in the dry season. Here, in a nutshell, is why. [1/many]
*breathes deeply*
Ok. Many folks ask why I don’t farm year round in greenhouses and process those tomatoes, rather than growing tomatoes in the open field and processing only in the dry season. Here, in a nutshell, is why. [1/many]
Let’s say I have a field 100Ha in size. It will cost me about $5,000/Ha to clear the land and install drip irrigation. So that’s $500,000.
Let’s say I can get a yield of 50 tons/Ha. That’s 5,000 tons of tomato per season.
Let’s say I have a factory that can process 100 MT/day.
Let’s say I can get a yield of 50 tons/Ha. That’s 5,000 tons of tomato per season.
Let’s say I have a factory that can process 100 MT/day.
So in this scenario, I plant my fields over a 50-day period, cultivate my crops, and harvest and run my factory for 50 days.
What if I wanted to do the same thing with a greenhouse? Well first of all, let’s remember that greenhouse tomatoes are indeterminate.
Say what?
What if I wanted to do the same thing with a greenhouse? Well first of all, let’s remember that greenhouse tomatoes are indeterminate.
Say what?
Indeterminate tomatoes are harvested over a longer period of time - once the plants start to flower, they just keep right on flowering. While you harvesting your open field tomatoes from a given field over 30 days, you will harvest your greenhouse tomatoes over 60 days.
Ok, so in order to get a “daily throughout” of 100 tons, I’ll need 200 hectares of greenhouse tomatoes.
What’s that you say? Greenhouse tomatoes are higher yielding? Not always, my friend, but ok. Let’s assume my yield in the greenhouse is 55 MT/Ha, not 50.
What’s that you say? Greenhouse tomatoes are higher yielding? Not always, my friend, but ok. Let’s assume my yield in the greenhouse is 55 MT/Ha, not 50.
I’ll need about 180 Ha of greenhouses to produce 9,900 MT of tomatoes.
The good news: yay! I can run my tomato factory for 99 days instead of 50 days!
The bad news: hmm, were am I going to get the extra 80Ha from? And does anyone know how much a greenhouse costs to build? 🤔
The good news: yay! I can run my tomato factory for 99 days instead of 50 days!
The bad news: hmm, were am I going to get the extra 80Ha from? And does anyone know how much a greenhouse costs to build? 🤔
Ooh, ooh, I know! We have these two super local greenhouses on the TJ farm that we use when we grow our seedlings, before transplanting them into the open market!
Each greenhouse is 10x30 meters and it cost about 1.1 million naira to make. That’s $3,000 per greenhouse.
Each greenhouse is 10x30 meters and it cost about 1.1 million naira to make. That’s $3,000 per greenhouse.
So to make one full hectare of greenhouses, I’ll need [does some quick math] 33.33 greenhouses.
33.33 x $3,000 is... $100,000. And I need to cover 180 hectares of land with greenhouses so that’s, umm, $18 million? 😰 Did I tack on some extra zeros by mistake?
No, you did not.
33.33 x $3,000 is... $100,000. And I need to cover 180 hectares of land with greenhouses so that’s, umm, $18 million? 😰 Did I tack on some extra zeros by mistake?
No, you did not.
So y’all tell me. would you rather:
1) spend $500,000 developing your open field; or
2) spend $18 million setting up greenhouses (where nothing can be automated unless you do MAJOR upgrades, because tractors don’t fit inside greenhouses)
1) spend $500,000 developing your open field; or
2) spend $18 million setting up greenhouses (where nothing can be automated unless you do MAJOR upgrades, because tractors don’t fit inside greenhouses)
The end!!
*dismounts clumsily from soapbox, returns to laptop*
*dismounts clumsily from soapbox, returns to laptop*
Open field! Not open market 🤦🏻♀️
