How To Start Cassava Farming Business In Nigeria

Ever since the need for cassava products began increasing, much patronage for cassava farming business has been witnessed in the last decade. Cassava products are in no way new to the average Nigerian or Nigerian market, as almost every Nigerian home consumes any of its many products in a day.

If you don’t eat cassava Garri, you eat it as wheat-flour, or cassava bread, commercial caramel or use it as animal feed. So, the economic advantage of cassava farming business can, therefore, be exaggerated – it is clear for anyone with business hindsight to see. Get up and start making money from it like me!

Why You Should Embrace Cassava Farming Business In Nigeria

As the Nigeria nation, nay African continent continues to expand, the demand for cassava products also keeps increasing at an encouraging rate. In the process, more revenues are generated by cassava farmers and operators of cassava farming business.

Cassava products, as I earlier hinted has multifarious usefulness. As a cash crop that’s sold out immediately after harvest, going into its trade gives the would-be farmer or investor the hope that the intended investment will not be a waste of time and other useful resources.

how-to-start-a-cassava-farm-in-nigeria

But then, patronage in cassava farming business seems to drop on a daily basis due to lack of capital. This is not only specific to cassava farming business but most other businesses. Why it is a cardinal factor in cassava farming business is due to the fact that in order to obtain a good Return On Investment, ROI, the farmer or investor must plant a large acre of cassava farm. Of course one needs a high-level capital to achieve this.

Government Interventions

Just recently, however, in its bid to upturn the present economic recession in Nigeria, the federal government through the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) launched an agriculture loan program for hundreds of thousands of active and potential farmers. This is intended to enable them to scale through the challenges of capital et. al.

So, as you’re planning towards starting a cassava farming business in Nigeria, avail yourself of this great opportunity by taking up the government’s agricultural loan too. Invest it in cassava farming, which for now, is one of the highly rewarding farming businesses you can start today with maximum, regular returns on investment

Practical Steps In Starting A Cassava Farming Business In Nigeria

Let us proceed to practical steps in starting a cassava farming business in Nigeria.

They include:

1). Get A Good Site for Your Cassava Farm

When canvassing for a site to start your cassava farm, choose an area rich in deep well-drained loamy soil, and possessing warm & moist climatic conditions and adequate rainfall. These are the best areas where cassava grows in. here are some key point to guide you in the site selection process

The topography of the land, whether or not it is gently sloping or flat.
The soil texture is of the land is good,
There is a thick vegetation around the land,
Get the indigenes to get the richness of the soil for you before you purchase it. Also get food scientists to also help you confirm that.
Choosing the appropriate location to establish your cassava farm is of utmost importance.

2). Improve and Cultivate the Soil for Planting Your Cassava:

You may skip this step if the soil is good enough to cultivate your cassava crops. However, if the reverse is the case, then, you may have to invest a little (or much) amount of money to cultivate the soil. Some of the commonly adopted practices for soil improvement includes:

Manuring of your soil,
Preparation of quality seedbeds,
Planting your cassava plants together with other crops, especially those rich in nitrogenous compounds.

It is required or advised that your soil should be highly fertile and ingredient-rich for cultivation else, you may lose a lot of money. Mistakes such as this should as much as possible, be avoided in all entirety.

The best, however, is to choose a good site for your cassava farm. This way, you would not have to go through the rigorous and time-eluding processes of soil improvements prior to planting your cassava stem cuttings.

3). Select The Best Cassava Variety To Plant:

There are a wide selection of cassava breeds that you can grow. In any case, the best breeds to cultivate are the types that are widely accepted by your target market, gives great yields, grows quick, and are resistant to pests and diseases. The central point involved in selecting the correct cassava breed to grow are:

Varieties with abundant

ground storage ability
early sprouting and growth.
cooking abilities
food quality
tolerance to weeds, pests and diseases.

Select the correct breed to run with. This will determine how successful your cassava farm will be. Once you grow what people are not interested in, you’d leave business faster than you imagined. Find out what the available buyers in the area are interested in, then grow those types of cassava crops.

4). Select Healthy Cassava Stem Cuttings:

Cassava crops are grown from Cassava stem cuttings. Choosing healthy stems is essential to growing rich cassava crops that your market would rapidly purchase. You can purchase cassava stem cuttings in town markets and villages.

After your initial purchase of the cassava stem cuttings, the best place to keep getting healthy cassava stem cuttings is from the ones you planted originally.

Planting healthy stem cuttings is important because they’d help you to greatly reduce the spread of cassava pests and diseases. When getting cassava stem cuttings, this is the best guide to take after:

Find healthy cassava plants.
Avoid cassava plants that have or have had a background marked by pest and diseases.

5). Plant the Cassava Right:

You need to consider the time of the year, the land tillage method etc. before you plant your cassava crop products. Other things include the seed bed type and the method of preparation. Also, know the handling and planting of the cassava stem cuttings. Planting the cassava within all the correct conditions will ensure you reap a healthy harvest. It will increase chances of good yields and would ensure you generally have the cassava harvests exactly when a lot of buyers need it.

6). Setup and Production Cost:

Similarly, as some other new company, a great execution of your cassava farming business can make you a millionaire. You need to understand the perfect costing needs. This will ensure you’re not going to generate a negative cash stream. Here is a sample costing for setting up a cassava cultivate in Nigeria:

Cassava Stem Cuttings: NGN 50,000 (For 100 bundles. Bundle price could change per location)
Cost of Land Preparation: NGN 25,000 (subject to change)
Estimated Cost of Land: NGN 75,000 (location dependent)
Fermentation Tank: NGN 220,000
Fertilizer NGN 25,000 (varies)
Hammer Mill: NGN 700,000
Water powered Press: NGN 280,000

Numerous other costs that’d run deep through the cassava farms are:

carriage packs,
cultivate maintenance,
general employee salaries, others.
harvesting work fees,
insecticides,

Note: miscellaneous costs and expenditures have been left out. These, also, are rough estimates liable to alterations by market dynamics

7). Market Your Cassava Products:

After growing and harvesting your cassava, the next step is to sell your product (harvest) to the right buyer and at acceptable market rates. Please make necessary market findings prior to sales, so that you don’t end up selling too cheap and cheat yourself or too costly and drive customers away

I am of the belief that this article has been helpful in exposing the nitty-gritty of starting a successful cassava farming business in Nigeria. Follow the guides here discussed and you will be on the way to constant income flows.

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How To Start Cassava Farming Business In Nigeria