Contributed
Miguel Mullings inspects some tomatoes on his farm in Craighead, Manchester, recently.

It is believed that it will take the active, conscious and creative participation of young people to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural sector. As such, Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of agriculture, in August launched a young farmers' programme geared at encouraging 500 youth into the sector. But 20-year-old Miguel Mullings needed no motivation to do just that.

Miguel, a resident of Manchester who hails from a line of farmers, explained that at 15 he was exposed to the industry not just by his family, but by the predomi-nantly farming community of Craighead in which he resides.

Profits on produce

Yields were good and so were the profits from the one and a half acre of yellow yam, tomatoes and pepper that were in the ground, so much so that he quickly devised a plan to cultivate better quality produce and pest-free varieties.

Money earned from open-field cultivation was accumulated, and it was Mullings' interaction with the Christian Potato Growers Association that convinced him greenhouse technology was the way to go to boost yields.

"Following the exposure to protected cultivation with the association, I decided to construct a small 70x30-foot greenhouse, valued in excess of $500 per square foot. This greenhouse now produces tomatoes and sweet peppers," he explained.

Although he will not be reaping produce from the unit until early December, the youth boasted that the plants were already producing beyond expectation and he anticipated that the yields would surpass that of open-field cultivation.

"A farmer can only harvest one or two times from open-air cultivation, but with a greenhouse, once all procedures are observed, you can reap up to as much as nine times," since the lifespan of the plants are extended. Consequently, he will now be able to fetch more for produce when demand is high.

Pest and disease issue

As a result of the protection affor-ded by the technology, no longer is Mullings affected by pests and diseases, especially during the colder months of December and January.

While other farmers lament the spiralling cost of agricultural inputs, using this method has reduced the operating cost of the venture since fertigation and chemical application are controlled.

"In the greenhouse, we can perform chemical and fertigation application once per week, whereas, in the open-air field you would be required to conduct this procedure twice weekly.

Using protected cultivation has rendered the labour-intensive exercise, customary for outdoor farming, obsolete, hence the down-sizing of the staff complement.

"Based on my research, I am convinced that from the 140 pepper plants, I can reap in excess of one pound per plant weekly, while the 700 tomatoes should yield a pound per plant fortnightly," he maintained.

With the anticipated yields from the greenhouse, Miguel pointed out that he was expecting to find good favour from clients, including vendors and supermarkets throughout Manchester. To prevent spoilage and a consistent market, plans are afoot to source other entities, inclusive of hotels and agro-processing facilities islandwide.

"The prospects of securing more markets are favourable at this time. I have already identified a purchaser as far away as Montego Bay," said Mullings.

He boldly stated that all he had achieved in his relatively young life came as a result of his profession and was encouraging other young people to venture into the field.

"I don't think agriculture is a dirty job and even if it is considered to be by some, being dirty is not a crime. To be successful, young people will have to forget about their pride," he said.