How To Start A Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria –
A Practical Guide And Business Plan On
I remember having to fight with my girlfriend on the watermelon consumption. She is a watermelon freak but I hated it. In fact, it irritated me. She won eventually, no thanks to the power of a woman. And now, I have become a bigger fan than her. So many people consume the fruit and today, I’m going to show you how to start a profitable watermelon farming business in Nigeria.
The first thing you should know about watermelon production is that it is very profitable. It is no longer news too that the GDP of the Nigerian economy is receiving boosts due to the emphasis on Agriculture.
The market is there for you to explore. Because of the nutritional value, many people consume watermelon daily.
Away from Nigeria, there is a world high rate of production and consumption of the product. Wikipedia has it that as at 2014, the watermelon production in the world stood at 111 million metric tons. That is quite huge. Nigeria contributes a substantial quantity to that number.
The affordable price of watermelon in Nigeria has also contributed to its consumption. Remember the law of demand; the lower the price, the higher the demand.
Today, I’m going to work you through the process of growing watermelons commercially in Nigeria. it will surprise you to know that to start a profitable watermelon farming business may not be as difficult as you may have envisaged.
Stay tuned.
You will learn about the business opportunities open to you if you start a profitable watermelon farming business in Nigeria, some basic facts about watermelon production, the various types of watermelons and a detailed guide on the ways to start a profitable watermelon farming business in this article.
Related: A practical guide on how to start a profitable tissue production business in Nigeria
More so, you will be to order a well-prepared business plan on watermelon production from our team of experts or a guide on how to prepare yours by yourself.
I guess you will have to get all the information on watermelon from this piece.
Basic Business Opportunities Found In Watermelon Farming Business
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Provision of food
Primarily, watermelons are eaten as raw fruits. They can be used as part of a salad or even prickled. They are great sources of fruits and food. Watermelons contain dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients and more importantly, water.
Since they can be eaten, you can sell to wholesalers and retailers and even consumers who will eat them. This process ensures enough profit.
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Beverages
Because of the juicy constituent of watermelons, they can be used in fruit salads, limeade, margaritas or juice. The juice from watermelon can very much be blended with other important fruits or made into wine. This could be sold as packaged and branded products. So you can sell to people who do this or you can take it up yourself.
Basic Facts About Watermelons
In my research on the ways to start a profitable watermelon farming business in Nigeria, I stumbled upon this piece by Stan of startuptipsdaily.com. It made a lot of sense. I will share verbatim what I saw. I know you will like it.
- Watermelons originated in southern African countries.
- Watermelons carry a little amount of fat.
- Watermelons are high in protein, magnesium, and vitamin B.
- Watermelon contains fiber (fiber encourages a healthy digestive system).
- The world’s heaviest watermelon was grown by Lloyd Bright of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in 2005. It weighed 268.8 lbs. (121.93 kg).
- Watermelons help reduce both your body temperature and blood pressure.
- Vitamin A helps keep the skin moisturized. A cup of watermelon contains nearly one-quarter of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin A.
- According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Drinking watermelon juice before an intense workout helps reduce next-day muscle soreness and heart rate.
- Watermelon seeds are roasted and eaten in some Asian countries.
- Watermelon can be processed into jam, juice, cocktail.
- Watermelon has a neutral flavor.
- Watermelon is beneficial in treating erectile dysfunction.
- Watermelons are propagated through seed.
- Watermelons can keep you hydrated since they contain 96% water.
Varieties Of Watermelon
If you want to start a profitable watermelon farming business in Nigeria, you should know the variety to plant. It is very important. Below are some of them.
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Sugar Baby Watermelon
They are usually small sized, little wonder they are called icebox type. They can easily be put into a refrigerator without cutting because of the said size. They usually take between 75-80 days to mature and they weigh 7-12 pounds.
The color is usually light green with dark stripes cover and flavor red flesh.
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Crimson Sweet Watermelon
Unlike the sugar baby watermelon, the crimson sweet watermelon takes between 85-95 days to mature fully. It weighs between 20-25kg. This variety is usually known for its enormous sugar content. The flesh is usually bright deep red.
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Charleston Gray
This variety of watermelon is an annual crop cos it grows yearly. Its height is the maximum of 1.46m. The average weight is 25kg and the average time of maturity is 85 days. Its flesh is usually red and fiber free. The rind, on the other hand, is usually grey-green
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Yellow Crimson sweet
This has its origin in Africa. On the average scale, they weigh 14kg and take between 75-85 days to mature. The flesh is usually bright yellowish orange in color. The seeds are very large and black and the flavor is very excellent. They also contain very moderate sugar content.
How To Start A Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria
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Research the business
How can you be on top of your game if you don’t know the business you want to run? You will suck at it. Therefore, if you want to start a profitable watermelon farming business, you will need to take out time to find out all you can and should about the business.
You should know how to grow watermelon, best watermelon variety, watermelon cost, watermelon price, the soil type that best suits the production, watermelon fertilizer recommendation, what month to plant watermelon and other important things. Actually, reading this piece is one of the ways to do that.
This is going to be the easy part if you did your work on the research very well. You need a business plan for the smooth running of your business. Without a business plan, you may not even understand everything you are meant to do.
Your business plan will contain essential aspects of your business. Some of them include financial cash flow, exit strategy, marketing plan, location, SWOT analysis etc.
We know it may be difficult to put one up. Don’t worry, we are here to help. Our team of professional writers can put up a business plan on watermelon farming business for you at an affordable price.
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Pick a farmland
When your business plan is ready, you should pick a farmland or better put, a location for your watermelon cultivation. Watermelon plantation thrives in sunny places. Therefore, pick a location that has enough sunlight and it should be well drained too. It makes them grow properly because they don’t thrive in waterlogged environment or soil.
You can grow them in ridges and beds and your soil should contain a good quantity of organic matter for maintaining nutrients for plant growth.
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Plant the watermelon
When planting your watermelon, you can plant directly outside. If you are going to use more than one row to plant, then you space at 6 feet by 6 feet apart. The temperature of at least 70°F should be used and the pH level of 6-6.8 should be utilized.
I know you would also want to know what month to plant your watermelon. In the northern part of Nigeria, in case you are there, you should plant either in May or July. If you are in the southern part of Nigeria, you should plant in March, June, July or September.
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Take care of the crop
You will need to take care of the crop from the time of planting to the time of harvest. At every stage, you will need to take care of your crop and ensure it turns out greatly.
You will need to irrigate the crops every week to ensure the soil gains enough moisture content to keep the crop growing healthily. You must be careful to avoid waterlogging the soil.
Weeding is essential. I guess everybody knows that. You must keep your watermelon plantation or watermelon garden free of weed.
During fertilization before flowering, you are expected to use more nitrogen and less phosphorus and potassium. However, after flowering, you should switch to less nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium.
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Harvesting
Part of knowing how to start a profitable watermelon farming business in Nigeria is knowing how to harvest the watermelon. You should know when they ripen because it is done two weeks after being picked. All you need to do is tap the fruit to know if it sounds hollow or checks the color. A ripe one will have a yellowish-cream colored bottom.
This is the final step in this our guide. Your products must be known. Employ all the strategies; online and offline, that can help you achieve your goal of marketing your products. You are good to go.
Conclusion
You should know that everything will depend on your ability to put up a plan. To start a profitable watermelon farming business in Nigeria will require a standard business plan.
Fortunately, we can help you with that. If you are interested in getting one or getting consultation on how to put yours up, you can contact us and we will do our best for you. We have given you the guide, if you need the business plan, you will have to order it.
