Shade house farming allows constant vegetable prices

Mar 19, 2018 News

Prices for crops grown under shaded conditions seldom fluctuate owing to fixed environmental conditions year-round.
This oftentimes influences consumers’, especially those who are price conscious, says Dr. Oudho Homenauth, Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).
Dr. Homenauth made this assertion during a recent visit to a private farm, owned by Mr. Ramesh Ramrattan, owner of Budget Supermarket. He noted that shaded cultivation enables a constant supply of fresh fruits and vegetables on the market, which prevents spontaneous price increase.
“The benefit of shade house is two-fold… it ensures crops available for the market and yes there is a market right here and it also helps to keep prices constant…There are times in Guyana when prices soar… With these systems you can maintain prices so that consumers could guarantee that if I spent ‘X’ amount last week I would pay ‘X’ for the same product this week,” Dr. Homenauth stated.

Dr. Oudho Homenauth examines crops grown under shaded conditions

A bed of lettuce

He emphasized that investments in climate resilient technology such as shade house are crucial in light of the current unpredictable weather patterns. As such, the institute has been partnering with many farmers to ensure access to technical support and materials. In fact, NAREI encourages farmers to invest in modern agricultural systems owing to the guaranteed return on investment.
Speaking on the feasibility of the venture, Mr. Ramrattan emphasised that the return on investment is approximately 40 percent. He noted that each shade house comprises six beds and costs approximately $1.5M. This sum catered for construction materials such as concrete, wood, shade plastic (which was purchased from NAREI); different soil types; and labour. Each shade house has an expected lifespan of 10 years.
Having experienced both open field and shaded cultivation methods, Ramrattan is confident that the latter offers more benefits. Drawing a comparison, he said that shaded cultivation is less labour intensive; crops grow faster; are better monitored; and enables year-round supply. Open field requires more labour, crops are exposed to pests and diseases, water management is an issue and weeds are a major problem.
According to Ramrattan, his production is about 80 percent organic. He grows chili pepper, lettuce, cucumber, Boulanger, broccoli, pakchoi, thick leaf callaloo, and herbs such as mint. These crops are available at Budget Supermarket, where there is a high demand. He noted that oftentimes demand is more than supply.