How To Start Ewedu Farming Business In Nigeria: Step-By-Step Guide
Ewedu farming business can be a very good and great way of making real money in Nigeria if you know how to go about it. In fact, there are lots of business opportunities in Nigeria if you actually know where to look. Vegetable farming business in Nigeria has always been very profitable and lucrative in Nigeria. The major issue is that lots of people tend to look the wrong way when searching for how to make money.
Raed: How to start a vegetable farming business in Nigeria
You will agree with me that white collar jobs seem to be the order of the day in Nigeria today. Few of Nigerian youths are actually considering agricultural investments in Nigeria. Ewedu farming is actually a cool agribusiness investment in Nigeria you can trust to yield good profit. It will interest you to know that an acre of Ewdu (Jute leaf) can give you about N400, 000 to 500, 000 in pure profit. You shouldn’t waste your precious time running from pillar to post in search of a white-collar job.
Cultivation of ewedu vegetable is mostly done in the South-West (Yoruba) part of Nigeria. The Yoruba people are well known with the eating and cultivation of ewedu leaf-like ogu farming is for the South-East. The essence of this article is to help guide you on how to successfully start your ewedu farming business in Nigeria.
Why Ewedu Farming in Nigeria?
The basic reason for venturing into any business is to make a profit and ewedu farming is very profitable in Nigeria. Although ewedu is mostly consumed by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, other tribes also eat the vegetable. The ewedu vegetable is very nutritious and it contains a good amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Ewedu vegetable also has a very low amount of calories thereby making it the food for people that wants to lose weight.
Also see: How to start Ugu farming business in Nigeria
Another reason, why ewedu farming in Nigeria is a business you need to consider, is the fact that it involves little capital to start. You can start your ewedu farming business on a plot of land and then expand to large scale production. Aside from consuming ewedu leaf, it can also be used in the textile making industry as it contains lignin.
There is no special environmental requirement for the cultivation of ewedu vegetable. You can actually plant your ewedu leaf anywhere in Nigeria. However, on well-irrigated land the vegetable has the tendency to grow faster and produce a higher yield. When you consider the popularity and general acceptance of this vegetable, you will come to understand the profitability of ewedu farming.
Things You Need To Know About Ewedu Farming In Nigeria
Generally, the ewedu vegetable thrives on swampy areas because there is enough water to constantly keep it moist to absorb nutrients. In the dry season, ewedu vegetable can be very expensive; therefore you need to consider dry season vegetable farming in Nigeria. If you want to earn really big from ewedu farming business in Nigeria then you need to invest in dry season farming.
The important thing you need to note about the cultivation of ewedu is that you have to boil the seeds. The boiling of the seeds aid in its germination and as it can take months before germination without boiling. For you to get the very best out your investment in ewedu farming business, plant between September and early January. It will surprise you that the ewedu vegetable is also consumed in the Northern part of the country. The ewedu vegetable is called “Ayoyo” in the Hausa language.
See: How to start cabbage farming business in Nigeria
Requirements For Starting Your Ewedu Farming Business In Nigeria
Before venturing into ewedu farming business in Nigeria, there are certain things you need to put in place. These requirements are very important and essential especially when you are going into commercial ewedu farming business in Nigeria.
· Well-detailed business plan
For large scale ewedu farming business in Nigeria, a good business plan is very important and necessary. Your ewedu production business plan will serve as a guide during the course of your farming business. The saying that says “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is very true when it comes to business ventures.
Your ewedu farming business plan will also improve your chances of accessing loans from both government and private individuals. So, you can see that having a business plan is very vital to the success of your agribusiness investment.
· Site selection, preparation, and planting
Once you have put your business plan together, the next step is to choose good farmland to cultivate your vegetable. As I stated earlier, swampy areas are best suited for the cultivation of ewedu vegetable in Nigeria. This is because water is essential to the optimal growth and development of ewedu vegetable. So, when you are selecting the land to ensure it has good water retention ability.
After you have selected the land, you need to prepare it for the planting of your ewedu leaf. You can till and soften the land with a hoe. This allows for easy development of the seeds. You can spread the ewedu seeds on the surface of the tilled and softened the soil and then cover with palm branches. The covering will prevent birds or domestic fowls from feeding on the seeds.
Before planting the seeds, you can decide to apply compost or farmyard manure in order to improve yield. The planting of the ewedu leaf can be done at any time of the year. For you to have supply during the dry season, you need to plant between September and January. When boiling the seeds prior to planting, you should suspend them in a cloth. Make sure you dry the seeds after boiling before planting them.
You can decide to evenly distribute the seeds on the farm or drill a channel by the side of the ridge and plant the seeds. For commercial ewedu farming business, the broadcasting method is the best. You can make the ridge beds be about 1m while the furrows be 0.5m.
· Irrigation
After planting your ewedu seeds, you need to water the soil for at least once in a day for three weeks. Ewedu vegetable matures after 3 weeks, so you can reduce the watering to 3 times in a week. Irrigation is very essential to having a bountiful yield on your ewedu farm.
· Pest And Diseases
As seen with other crops and vegetables, ewedu is also susceptible to pest attack. The stem of the ewedu leaf can be attacked by nematodes and insects like beetles. You can apply organic pesticides in order to mitigate the attack of the pests. The main disease that affects ewedu vegetable is a leaf spot disease.
· Harvesting Your Ewedu Vegetable
Your ewedu vegetable will be ready for harvest after 5 weeks of planting. You can harvest your ewedu by cutting the stem with a knife or totally uprooting the plant from the bed. The harvest can continue for up to 5 months after the initial harvest.
· Marketing
You should sell your ewedu vegetables immediately after harvest or within a week of harvesting. In order to keep the vegetable fresh, you need to constantly sprinkle water on the vegetable. You can also store the vegetable at room temperature for preservation.
Ewedu farming business is very profitable and lucrative if you can bring out your time to really invest in this business. You can invest in dry season vegetable farming in order to ensure the availability of this vegetable all year round.
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