In Nigeria, most people still rely on rainfed vegetables for their vegetable needs. And for very good reasons: they are relatively easy to grow. However, their production is seasonal and has become unreliable because of problems of transportation, marketing and storage. Consequently, fresh produce is often surplus to marketing requirements, resulting in low prices and huge losses during the rainy season and in scarcity and high market prices during the off season. It seems that rainfed vegetables can no longer continue to meet the demands of the fast-growing population, and it is time to examine the role of out-of-season vegetables as well.
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