How To Start Avocado Farming And Exporting Business In Nigeria
Avocado farming in Nigeria has the potential to make you a millionaire if only you can have the patience. This is not one of those get rich quick business ventures that you can just stroll into. Very few people in Nigeria understand the profit potential of the avocado farming business, hence the reason for the few avocado farmers. This article is to guide you on how to start a commercial avocado farming business in Nigeria.
Avocado farming will not only give your money on the local front, but it also commands a high exchange rate internationally. It is actually called the “green gold” for the high exchange rates it on the internal market. You should know that even with the favorable climate and abundant water supplies in Nigeria, there are few avocado farmers. Investing in avocado farming business on the long-term will be a great agribusiness venture for you in Nigeria.
The objective of this article is to provide you with the needed guidance to start an avocado farming business in Nigeria. So, you just relax and enjoy your reading as it promises to be very informative and educating as well.
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The Profitability Of Avocado Farming Business In Nigeria.
This is to douse any fears you might have concerning the profit potential of avocado farming business in Nigeria. An acre of an avocado farm has the capacity to generate between N2.8million-N5.4million. Research has shown that the importation of avocado into the European countries has doubled. This tells you that the demand for avocado on the international market is really on the increase. As it stands now, the European countries mostly import avocado from Kenya, Peru, Mexico, and Chile.
With the current high demand for avocado in the international market, you should consider investing or starting an avocado farming business. For the local market, avocado pear is also very profitable and you really need to pay attention to it. Let us assume that you sell one avocado pear at the rate of N50 and you harvested 200 avocado fruits from one tree. This gives you N10, 000 from a single avocado tree.
You can imagine where you have about 100 avocado trees on one acre of land, it will generate N1 000,000. There is even the possibility that you will harvest more than once in a year. This tells you how profitable and lucrative avocado farming is in Nigeria. I believe that by now, you have started to see the profit potential of this avocado farming business. The question is, can you have the patience to nurture your avocado trees to maturity?
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Complete Guideline To Starting Commercial Avocado Farming Business In Nigeria
Like I stated earlier, you need to equip yourself with the requisite knowledge before you venture into avocado farming business. These guidelines include:
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Have A Good Business Plan
There is no way that you will be successful in commercial avocado farming and exporting business without a business plan. You might get land and plant your avocado seeds, but there is every tendency for failure along the line. This is because you will not have any sense of direction or focus when you lack a laid down plan. Things like your marketing strategy, financial projections, SWOT analysis, etc will all be in your business plan.
Another positive thing about having your business plan is that it will be easy for you to access loans. No investor will take you seriously if you don’t have a well-detailed business plan of your avocado farming business. Therefore, you need to have it at the back of your mind that business plan is indispensable.
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Site Selection And Preparation
The good thing about avocado farming is that the trees grow on a wide variety of soil types. Although, a well-drained sandy loam soil is best suited for optimum growth and development. It is recommended that you select a soil with a pH range of between 5.5-7.0. In terms of land preparation, you need to clear the bushes and loosen the soil for proper aeration and water penetration.
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Avocado Planting Or Cultivation Technique
You should start your avocado planting by raising the seeds in a nursery before transplanting to the main field. The transplanting should be done 6 months after starting the nursery. To transplant your avocado seedlings, dig a hole of 90cm by 90cm and then fill with topsoil and manure in the ratio of 1:1.
The planting should be done within February and April, during the start of the rainy season. The ideal spacing for planting avocado seedlings is 12m by 12m. With this spacing, you can get up to 100 stands per acre. For your commercial avocado farming business, you should use the Hass variety. This variety is high in fat, quality flesh with an almond butter texture. It also has the capacity to produce all year round. Other varieties that you can consider include the Hall, Daily 11, MacArthur, Coquette, Vonage, and Shepherd.
Avocado trees require nitrogen very well, so you can intercrop with legumes such as soybeans, groundnut or beans. These legumes have the ability to fix nitrogen into the soil. This means that you can also make extra money outside your avocado farming business in Nigeria. It is advised that you lightly prune any avocado tree with clustered branches.
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Pest And Diseases
In order to have a bountiful harvest in your avocado farming business, there is a need to control pests and diseases. The common pests include the mealy bugs, mites, and scales. Diseases that mostly affect avocado farming business are the fruit spot, root rot, and leaf rot. You are advised to make use of insecticides and pesticides to control these pests. The cultivation of resistant variety can be a very good option as well.
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Harvesting Your Avocado Fruits
You can start harvesting your avocado fruits from 5-6 years after planting. This is the reason I said that you need patience in this business venture. You can harvest using go-to-hell. After harvesting, you can sell immediately or keep them to soften before you start selling. Try to prevent them from falling on the ground as they can get damaged in the process.
In the avocado farming business, the quantity of your harvest depends on the variety, agricultural practices, and the age of the tree. You can get between 200-400 fruits from a tree, although the yield reduces after 10-12 years.
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Marketing Your Avocado Fruits
During the time it takes for your avocado trees to mature, you need to have a well-planned marketing strategy. You should have identified the local market to sell your farm produce. For the exporting business, you need to make sure that you get all the necessary documents ready before the avocado trees start yielding fruits. Once you have a good marketing strategy in place, once your fruits mature there is an already waiting market.
ATTENTION…
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