By Fatima Muraina & Kehinde Oluwatayo

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As part of efforts by the management of Owena Press Limited, Publisher of The Hope titles to equip its staffers with trainings that can give them additional income, a practical training on tomato cultivation has been organised for them.
A tomato farmer, Mr Yinka Ige took the staff through a classroom training before visiting his farm in Igoba where they were taken through the practical aspect.
Speaking on the rationale behind the training, Chairman and Editor in Chief of Owena Press Limited, Sir Ademola Adetula noted that the economic realities in Nigeria call for additional income if people will be able to meet their obligations.
According to him, agriculture is a viable tool that can bring people out of poverty especially when it is done in a commercial way.
The chairman who led the staffers to the farm urged them not to rely on their salaries alone but to put into practice the knowledge acquired at the farm.
Taking the staffers through the training, the farm instructor, Mr Adebayo Oyemilusi said tomato cultivation begins from the nursery stage where a mixture of black soil, manure and cocopix is required to plant the seedling.
According to him, the plant which is planted one by one spends two weeks in the nursery and must be watered morning and evening after which it will be transferred to a prepared permanent place for it.
Oyemilusi who stated that the spacing must be one foot apart while planting and must be properly staked, advised that the permanent place be sprayed with chemicals to prevent pests infestation.
He added that a Coca-Cola crown full of NPK 20 15 15 fertilizer must be applied two meters away from the root of the plant fortnightly to maximize the yield.
While stating that tomato takes 72 days to fruit, Oyemilusi noted that a farmer can continue to harvest for two months if the plant is properly managed.
The farm instructor who also guided the staffers through cucumber cultivation noted that cucumber spends nine days in the nursery with 45 days maturing period.
According to him, the spacing while planting in its permanent place and fertilizer application and type are the same with tomato.
Oyemilusi who advised that water must continue to drop in the root of the plant for at least two hours in the morning and evening said the plant must be pruned regularly to prevent its leaf from ground.
According to him, cucumber plant will wither if the leaf should touch the ground which is why it must be pruned regularly. He said one stand of cucumber can produce 24 fruits.