How To Start Orange Plantation In Nigeria: Step-By-Step Guidelines
Orange plantation business in Nigeria is a money-making agribusiness investment that you really need to consider venturing into. Orange, scientifically called Citrus sinensis belongs to the family of citrus. If you are looking for a long-term investment in the agricultural sector in Nigeria, orange plantation business is the perfect pick for you. On the average, an orange tree takes between 3-6 years to yield fruit, but the genetically engineered seeds can yield fruits in a far lesser time.
Read: How to start palm tree plantation business in Nigeria
As an agribusiness investor or farmer in Nigeria, you really need to consider the huge profit potential of this orange plantation business. This article will show you the secrets of orange cultivation, orange farming techniques in Nigeria, and orange season in Nigeria as well. There are orange seedlings in Nigeria that will give you very high yield and also be resistant to diseases.
Your understanding of the different orange farming techniques in Nigeria will go a long way to helping you become successful in orange plantation business. This is not a business you can jump into without proper planning and adequate knowledge and information. If you venture into an orange plantation business without the requisite technique, you will be in for a lot of trouble.
The objective of this article is to provide you with an orange planting guide you on how to make millions in planting orange in Nigeria. The market value of orange in Nigeria is very high. The very wonderful thing about orange is that you can cultivate it anywhere in Nigeria.
Why You Should Consider Orange Plantation Business In Nigeria
You may be asking the question, why should you invest your money in Orange plantation business in Nigeria? Well, to answer your question, I will start by saying that there is more just a reason why you should consider investing in an orange plantation business in Nigeria. Such reasons include:
-
Orange fruit have high economic value
When you look at the things that are got from orange fruit, you will understand the reason why it has such high economic value. Nigeria is among the top 10 countries in the world when it comes to citrus production. There is high demand for citrus all around the world today.
Also Read: 5 reasons you should invest in agriculture
Aside from its consumption by humans, the pulp of orange serves as livestock feed, it is also used for the production of feed yeast. Orange peels are used in the production of vinegar, citric acid, and lactic acid. The leaves and back of orange tree also have great medicinal value to humans.
Running an orange plantation business in Nigeria is a very smart way of harnessing all these benefits for yourself.
-
Favorable weather condition
This is also a very important reason to consider for venturing into orange plantation business in Nigeria. Orange is among the very few plants that can grow anywhere in Nigeria. You don’t need to ascertain if the tree will grow in your locality. Unlike other crops like, onion, cucumber, tomato, etc that doesn’t grow everywhere in Nigeria.
The Nigerian weather condition is very much favorable for orange plantation business. It’s a pity that very few people are actually into this money making agribusiness in Nigeria. You can actually become one of that very few.
-
Market availability
If you like, know the best orange farming technique in Nigeria, be an expert in orange cultivation, and let your orange farm be the major center of production of orange in Nigeria. Without a market to sell your farm produce, you will not make any money from your orange farming business.
Another major reason orange plantation business in Nigeria is a goldmine is for the fact that there is an available market to sell your farm produce. You can choose to sell to orange juice production companies like Chivita, 5 Alive, etc. you can also sell to animal feed production companies. The rind oil from the peel is very valuable in the international market.
You can really see for yourself the great business opportunity that orange plantation business can bring.
Related: How to start sorghum farming in Nigeria
Starting Your Orange Plantation Business In Nigeria
To start your own orange plantation business in Niger, there are certain things that you must pay close attention to. You don’t joke with these things if you wish to succeed in your orange farming business. They include:
-
Good business plan
You cannot be successful in any business venture without your business plan. I will call you a joker if you expect that you will just wake up one morning and start your orange plantation business. You must have a business plan to help you in many areas of the orange farming business.
The business plan will contain things like your business name, market research, and survey, analysis on your competitors, the strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of your orange plantation business in Nigeria. You are also going to indicate your financial projections and analysis in the business plan.
I believe that the importance of having a good business plan is already clear to you.
No matter how good your business plan is, without money it cannot be executed. Capital is the engine room for starting any business venture in Nigeria and the world in general. You can approach private individuals with your business plan in order to woo them to invest in your orange plantation business.
Financial institutions like commercial banks, microfinance banks, etc can also be approached for a loan in order to start your business. It is always advisable that you seek funds from friends and family first before considering the financial institutions.
-
Choosing land for your orange plantation business
Your choice of land for this orange plantation business is very important. The type of land that you select will greatly impact the growth of your orange trees. The best choice when it comes to land for orange plantation business in Nigeria is sandy-loam soil.
A land that has the clay content to be between 10%-40% is very ideal to grow orange trees. You can also observe the growth of other trees on that particular land to see how good the soil is. Another thing to consider is the drainage capacity of the land. A land that is waterlogged should be avoided for this orange farming purpose.
If you want to know the drainage capacity of the land that you have selected, you should dig a hole that is 2 meters deep and 1 meter in diameter. Fill the hole with water and watch it know how long it will take for the whole water to dry. If the time is more than 36 hours, you must avoid such land for your orange plantation business in Nigeria.
-
How to plant your orange trees
You can either buy already germinated orange seeds from a nursery or grow your own plants from the seeds. When buying the orange seeds, there is a need for you to be careful about not buying the desired varieties. When it comes to the planting of orange trees, you need to seek the services of an expert so that you won’t get it wrong.
After you must have selected your preferred orange seed variety, soak the seeds in water. These soaked seeds should be left in the water overnight. At this point, you should prepare the nursery and plant the seeds half an inch deep. Polythene bags can also be used as the nursery and filled with sandy-loam soil that has a high content of organic matter.
The polythene bags used should be perforated to allow for water drainage. You must water the orange seeds in the polythene bag on a daily basis. An orange seed germinates within just 14 days or 2 weeks after planting. You should note that for an orange seed to germinate, favorable conditions are required.
Such favorable conditions include; water availability, good soil drainage, and the right temperature. You must allow the germinated seeds to remain in the polythene bag for 3 months before transplanting them into the orange plantation. It is obvious that how you plant your orange trees will greatly determine the profitability of your orange plantation business in Nigeria.
-
Transplanting and spacing your orange trees
After you have finished with the nursery stage, it is now time to transplant your orange trees to the permanent farm location. You must make sure that your permanent farm location is fenced in order to keep animals away from the young orange trees. To transplant, you have to dig about 0.5 meters deep into the soil and the young orange tree placed in the hole and covered properly.
Make sure you remove the polythene around the young orange tree. You have to make a little depression at the top after you have planted your orange tree. The depression is for holding water. When it comes to orange tree spacing, it must be perfectly done to allow for the blossoming of the orange tree.
For the dwarf orange trees, a spacing of 6-10 feet is required while the standard orange trees need a spacing of 12-25 feet.
-
How to care for your orange trees
You need to provide adequate care for your orange trees from the time of planting to when they start yielding fruits. Always take note of diseases that attack orange trees and how to prevent and treat them. Diseases such as citrus canker, citrus mold, and citrus tristeza must be kept at bay from your orange plantation farm in Nigeria.
I want to believe that this article has been of help to you regarding how to start an orange plantation business venture in Nigeria. You can always drop your comments on the space below.
ATTENTION…
For your well-detailed business plan on any business niche, contact us at Entrepreneur Nigeria through +2347037281050. Your business plan will be ready just within 2 weeks of your order. Call us today and you will certainly be glad you did.
