Stories by Steve Agbota ( [email protected] 08033302331 )
Butternut squash belongs to the Curcubita or gourd family of fruits, whose members typically are high in essential nutrients. It is cultivated in warm climate throughout different regions of the world.
The crop is gaining currency especially as demand for the product increases locally and internationally in some African countries like Kenya and South Africa where farmers are making their cool money growing them.
However, butternut squash are sweet, which makes them suitable to be added to salads, stew, casserole, pies and even roasted for snack options. Butternut squash are full of nutrients with a wide range of vitamins and minerals, which bring a number of benefits of butternut squash for people’s health.
This is the right time for potential farmers to invest in butternut squash farming in Nigeria. The crop is still not common in the country and people are already demanding for it because of its numerous health benefits. The few people who are planting the crop in the Southwest cannot satisfy local demands let alone international market.
Presently in Nigeria, people can only get butternut squash from shoprite and some other big shopping malls across the country even as the supply is below demand as it is not always available on demand in those shopping malls.
Once a farmer gets a land, he needs a modicum capital to start the business. But it is advisable for potential farmers to seek the advise of an expert before venturing into the business so as to know the nitty gritty of butternut squash or undergo a training on how to farm the crop.
Apart from using butternut squash for culinary purposes, it has numerous nutrition and health benefits, including the ability to treat diabetes, boost the immune system, improve bone and eye health, aid in weight loss, nourish hair and skin, prevent high blood pressure, and ability to maintain heart diseases such as heart attack.
Part of its nutrition and health benefits include ability to prevent cancer, reduce inflammation, boost digestion, supply protein, prevent aging, thwart asthma, reduce premenstrual syndromes and improve contraction and nerve impulse transportation.
Interestingly, butternut has very low calories; 100g provides just 45 calories. It contains no saturated fat or cholesterol; however, it is a rich source of dietary fiber and phytonutrients.
For vitamin C, it is 90mg for men and 75mg for women. Butternut squash is also a good source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, and manganese. A cup of cubed butternut squash also provides 582mg of potassium, more than the amount available in a banana.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database, one cup of cooked, cubed butternut squash, containing around 205g, contains 82 calories, 1.8g of protein 0.18g of fat, 21.50g of carbohydrate, including 4g of sugar and 6.6g of dietary fiber. It also provides 84mg of calcium, 1.23mg of iron, 582mg of potassium, 59mg of magnesium, 55mg of phosphorus, 31mg of vitamin C, 1144 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A.
Speaking with Daily Sun, the founder and National Coordinator of GoGreen Africa Initiative, Adeniyi Sola Bunmi, said butternut squash farming is an excellent choice for small scale farmers and it is a simple task, which beginners in farming can cope with.
According to him, butternut squash has a sweet nutty taste. It is rich in Vitamin A, potassium and Vitamin C. He said currently, the seed is being imported from Kenya, which makes it a bit expensive but with N70,000 one can start the farming and do very well on it.
He added: “Butternut squash has market value and demand both in Nigeria and abroad. You can sell in major markets. I’m currently putting together youth groups so we can link our members with export market in oder to by pass middlemen for better returns. The major thing I love about butternut squash is that they have a long storage life of up to three months and they should be mature and free from injury and decay before you store them. Make sure you keep them dry and provide it with good air circulation.”
He said the crop is highly exportable because it is something that is good for babies, pregnant women and everybody.
He explained: “Butternut is a new thing around the block but the beauty of it is that when you start a new thing in Nigeria, a lot of people will come in because it is a nutritional crop just like the orange flesh sweet potato. The first thing is that we are putting the health benefits and people will begin to test and the more they discover it is good, the demand will increase and it will also boost the economy viability and everybody will start learning how to grow it.”