How To Start Lucrative Plantain Farming Business In Nigeria: Your Guide
Starting your lucrative plantain farming business in Nigeria is a great venture if you know how to go about it. In Nigeria today, plantain farming is the secret money-making agricultural investment that lots of people ignore. The good thing about plantain farming is that you can easily main the crop, unlike other cash crops. Research has shown that virtually every land in Nigeria can support plantain farming business.
See: How to start a banana farming business in Nigeria
After reading this article, you will see the reasons why plantain farming is one of the most profitable agribusiness ventures in Nigeria. This article provides you with the basic knowledge of how to engage in modern plantain farming. Here, you will learn good plantain farming techniques needed for an optimal yield of plantain suckers on your farm. This article will also provide you with information on the cost of plantain farming in Nigeria.
It is important that you understand the challenges of plantain farming in Nigeria before venturing into the business. You also need to look into the cost of starting a plantain plantation, especially here in Nigeria. It is not just enough for you to have the zeal to venture into plantain farming in Nigeria, you need to know the basics of the business.
You only have to plant your plantain suckers once and the rest will be about harvesting your farm produce. Plantain is a popular staple food that is mostly cultivated and grown in tropical regions. Statistically, plantain is at number ten on the list of staple food generally consumed around the world.
Also read: How to start orange plantation business in Nigeria
Why You Should Start Plantain Farming In Nigeria
Well, for starters, plantain can be harvested all seasons which makes the crop more reliable as a staple food. For the fact that there is no culture or ethnic group in Nigeria that forbid the consumption of plantain makes the business very lucrative. The Nigerian soil favors the cultivation of plantain. In fact, there is no place in Nigeria that you will not see plantain suckers growing.
Another reason why plantain farming is easy to start in Nigeria is that it is not capital intensive. After planting the plantain suckers, they require less care than other cash crops. There is an already existing market to sell your plantain after harvest in Nigeria. Plantain can be consumed raw when ripped or you can fry or boil it to your satisfaction.
Requirements For Starting Your Plantain Farming In Nigeria
Before starting your plantain farming business in Nigeria, there are certain things you need to put in place. These requirements include the following:
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Well-detailed plantain farming business plan in Nigeria
Just obtainable in every business venture, plantain farming business plan is essential to the success of your agribusiness venture. With your business plan, you will be open to understanding the cost of starting a plantain plantation. It is within the business plan that you will carry out a market survey, cost analysis, SWOT analysis, etc. The business plan will also contain the challenges of plantain farming in Nigeria.
Plantain farming business plan in Nigeria can also be used to access funds and loans for your business. For you to apply for government agricultural loans, one of the important requirements is that you have a good business plan. So, aside from serving as your business guide the business plan also helps you to fund your business.
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Good farm selection
When it comes to plantain farming, you should know that loamy soils are the best. This is because they have a very good organic to inorganic material ratio. The combination of these organic materials with mineral particles in loamy soils helps to keep the soil loose and fertile. You must note that organically rich soils in the tropical rainforest in Nigeria are shallow. This allows plantain suckers to thrive upon planting and up to three more years before they die off.
Read: How to start cashew nut farming in Nigeria
In order to avoid such cases, you should provide the soil with enough and quality compost as well as mulch.
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Soil preparation for plantain farming
While preparing the land for the cultivation of your plantain suckers, you need to clear bushes and cut down the trees if any. You need to ensure there are ways to protect the plantain suckers from the harsh rays of the sun. This can be achieved either by planting the plantain suckers in a bunch or having trees to protect them.
After the clearing of bushes and excess trees, the next task is to till the soil and the application of manure is also recommended. Depending on your financial capacity, you can decide to go for manual labor or make use of machines for land preparation.
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Ensure you buy healthy and viable plantain suckers
Plantain plants are grown from plantain suckers and if you make the mistake of starting your plantain farm with unhealthy suckers, your business will end before it even begun. Short and narrow leaves are always the major characteristics of plantain suckers. Buying your suckers from reputable farmers is very important and highly advised.
Mainly, there are three main varieties of plantain suckers you need to know. These varieties include water plantain sucker, maidenhead plantain sucker, and sword plantain sucker. You need to know that the water plantain suckers are not so good for plantain farming business. This is due to the fact that these particular suckers produce weak plants with very low yield.
For the best possible yield from plantain plants, buy either the Maidenhead or sword plantain suckers. These two varieties produce strong plantain plants that are highly resistant to pest attacks. They are also known to produce healthy fruits as well. These plantain suckers sell for as high as between #1000 to #2000 currently in Nigeria. The thing is, you only need to buy them once and they will serve you for many years to come as they give rise to new suckers.
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Planting your plantain suckers
Depending on the size of your plantain plantation, you can decide to hire laborers for the plantain farming activities such as planting the plantain suckers. Ideally, the suckers should be between 4-5 feet long. When planting these plantain suckers, you should ensure they are planted at a distance of about 8-10 feet from each other.
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Weeding and fertilizer application
Constant weeding of your plantain plantation is required in order to remove weeds from the farm. You can use manual labor or employ the use of chemicals to control the growth of these weeds on your plantain farm. For the fertilizer application, you need to ensure that the right proportion of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Dead plantain leaves can also be used to improve the fertility of the soil.
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Harvesting your plantain
Your plantain will be ready for harvest with 10 months after planting. Immediately the plantain fruits start to ripe, you should harvest. The harvest continues all through the season, meaning you keep making money from your plantain farming business.
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Marketing your plantain
There is always the demand for plantain which is one of the key reasons why plantain farming in Nigeria is lucrative. You can supply to the local market, companies that process plantain into flour, or even export to other countries. If you set up your own plantain processing plant it will be a good way to sell the products too.
ATTENTION…
For your well-detailed plantain farming business plan in Nigeria, call us on +2347037281050. Your business plan will be ready for use within just2 weeks of your order. Contact us today and watch your business take a new positive shape.
