AGRIC. PRODUCTS IN LAGOS AREA MARKETS: W A T E R M E L O N .

By S. Olanrewaju Disu .


ARTICLE FOURTEEN :

W A T E R M E L O N .


The watermelon is a widely grown African vine [ Citrus vulgaris ] of the gourd family whose fruits are watermelons. Watermelons found in Lagos markets are usually green or striped green, sometimes 2ft or more long , oblong or roundish shaped fruits. They are also broad at the apex and generally glabrous.

The watermelon fruit has a sweet, watery, pink or red pulp with many seeds. It is reported that the flesh amounts to 65% of the whole fruit, and of this, 95% is water ; hence the name, watermelon!

The fruits come in handy during the dry and harmattan seasons, and constitute a valuable source of water. The flesh is usually eaten raw. In Lagos area, some indigenous people invoke the fruit in an incatation for the good delivery of a pregnant woman !

The watermelon is supposed to be an annual plant. However, massive cultivation of the plant in the south-western part of Nigeria in recent years makes watermelons available in our markets in large quantities. When they are in season , few fruits surpass watermelons in Lagos Area markets. The large density of population , a substantial part of them educated and informed, realize the nutritional importance of fruits, watermelons inclusive. They contain essential vitamins and minerals that are vital for good health and disease prevention.

Right now, there are no canning industries that package watermelons. But because the populace consume watermelons veraciously either by itself or in combination with other fruits like pawpaw and banana to form desserts, watermelons are never wasted after harvests. They sell quickly like hot cakes at the markets – whether wholesale or retail.

Like other annuals in our markets in Lagos, there are times when watermelons are not in season. They come to the markets at this time in trickles, with attendant high prizes. These high prizes do not deter people from buying and consuming watermelons. Dry-season farmers in swampy areas reap financially from sowing watermelons when they are not in season.

PHOTOS : Watermelons for sale at “Ketu Market” on wholesale and at “Iyana Ejigbo” market on retail basis.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN LAGOS MARKETS.

By S. Olanrewaju Disu.


ARTICLE THIRTEEN :

PINE - APPLE .

The pine-apple is a very important and highly profitable agricultural product in Lagos area markets. Its botanical name is “Ananas comosus _ Family Bromeliaceae”. The pine-apple is a tropical monocotyledonous plant with rigid leaves and a short stalk. The fruit of this plant [ the pine-apple ] is succulent and fleshy.

The pine-apple is grown commercially in all the southern rain-forest zones of Nigeria, including Lagos State. When in season, i.e. during harvest period, very large quantities of this fruit are available for sale - both for humans and fruit-packaging industries.

The pine-apple fruit is rich in Vitamin C, which is used in the prevention and treatment of scurvy and as an antioxidant for foods. The fruit, ripe and unripe, contains proteolytic enzyme similar to papain found in pawpaw [carica papaya ]. Hence, the rush among the populace to eat pine-apples when in season.

In addition to the above, the unripe fruit of pine-apple is known to be purgative, diuretic, anthelmintic and expectorant. Furthermore, in this part of the world, it is taken by women as an emmenagogue.

Besides conventional market places, so many road-side pine-apples’ markets and sheds spring up when the pine-apple is season. Apart from human consumption, the wastes that come up after its peeling for food are fed to domestic animals and pigs.

In the past, incredibly large percentages of the pine-apple harvests in Nigeria are lost due to lack of good storage facilities and know-how. Nowadays, however, fruit packaging industries have sprung up all over Lagos State. This has considerably reduced post-harvest wastages; and the employment of youths has been enhanced. Pine-apple farming in Lagos area and the whole of southern Nigeria is now carried out in leaps and bounds.




PHOTOGRAPHS :

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL MARKETING OF PINE-APPLE IN LAGOS MARKETS.

AGRIC. PRODUCTS IN LAGOS MARKETS.

ARTICLE TWELVE :

OKRA

The okra, whose botanical name is ‘Abelmoschus esculentus, of the Family Malvaceae, is commonly found in Lagos Area markets. It is a vegetable crop used in soup preparation by all the peoples resident in the State.

Though okra is an annual vegetable grown by farmers as a cash-crop, it is also cultivated by many individuals as a garden vegetable. Furthermore, dry-season farming in swampy areas of Lagos produce okra fruits in large quantities. Therefore, okra, which is supposed to be an annual crop, is available in Lagos Area Markets all-year round. It’s harvesting is done over a long period of time. This helps its availability in the market, too.

There are various varieties of the okra crop in Lagos markets, and these crops vary in sizes.

Why is the populace keen on eating the okra? Experts tell us that okra contains vitamins A and C as well as starch, fat, ash, thiamine and riboflavin, which are good for the skin.

We are also told that the super fibre found in okro helps to stabilize blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. Experts further tell us that okra fibre absorbs water and helps to prevent constipation. Also, okra is said to be very ideal for weight loss.

Finally, we are informed that okra is a good source of iron and calcium. Because of the above reasons, the okra vegetable will always be in demand in our markets in Lagos all-year round.


PHOTOGRAPHS :
SOME VARIETIES OF OKRA ON RETAIL SALE AT A LAGOS SUB- URBAN MARKETS

AGRIC. PRODUCTS IN LAGOS MARKETS.

By S. Olanrewaju Disu .


ARTICLE ELEVEN
P A W P A W

The pawpaw is a very prominent fruit in Lagos Area markets when it is in season. The fruit is large, oblong with green skin, which turns yellow when ripe and it has sweet, edible flesh. The flesh is eaten as fresh fruit or processed as dessert. The pawpaw fruit has a flesh that is usually orange or red in colour, with black , round seeds.

Historically, the pawpaw tree is native to central tropical America , but now , man has spread it to all warm countries. The pawpaw tree is also known as “carica papaya” of the family Caricaceae, the papaya family.

The pawpaw tree is a fast-growing , semi-woody tree; with male and female flowers usually on separate plants. This aids cross-pollination of plants. Therefore, in our markets, we have variation in shape and sizes of pawpaw fruits, and in sweetness of the pulp. As mentioned above, there are yellow-fleshed and pink/red-fleshed forms of the fruits.

When in season, Lagosians eat the pawpaw fruit not only for its sweetness, but also for its high nutritional and medicinal values. For example, the fruit is relatively rich in papain. Papain is important for its proteolytic action. It is also used as a tenderizer for meat. Besides papain, alkaloids are said to have been found in the latex. These alkaloids are heart-depressants, and may have some value in treatment of heart-disease, experts say.

The nutritional value of pawpaw is said to exceed that of apples, peaches and grapes in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and calories. Its water content is about 90%, while sugars and carbohydrates account for most of the balance.

Besides buying and selling of pawpaw fruits in our Lagos metropolitan markets , pawpaw plants are ornamentally planted around some homes and gardens to benefit from them in diverse ways, namely :

The leaf-pulp is haemostatic and is put on sores to promote healing.

The roots of pawpaw trees are purgative. In this part of the world, the root of the male tree is powdered and taken for the cure of head-ache. Ditto for respiratory problems, too.

Traditionally, the dry, brown pawpaw leaf is a good remedy for convulsion . It is grinded and added to palm kernel oil. It’s then stirred well and rubbed all over the body. It quickly arrests the abnormal condition.