Plantain farming in Nigeria is one of the easiest, profitable and long term agricultural investment you can ever venture into in Nigeria. If you are looking for an agricultural business that can give you a daily, weekly, monthly and cash flow. Then Plantain farming in Nigeria is the way. One of the greatest benefits of plantain farming in Nigeria is due to the fact that it can easily be propagated, the market is readily available, the demand for plantain in Nigeria and all over the world is high and plantain is a good source of food among other benefits.
Another advantage of plantain farming in Nigeria is the fact that plantain grows virtually everywhere in Nigerian due to our climate, temperature and the nature of our soil, also plantain is not a seasonal fruit as it produces all year round.
Plantain is one of the few agricultural business that you can refer to as an investment into now and the future, that is once it is planted, you don’t need to re-plant ever again, it just grows all year round.
The good thing about plantain is the fact that the demand for plantain is so high that farmers are not currently meeting demands so there are needs waiting to be met and markets waiting to be explored.
Nigeria is one of the biggest producers of plantain in Africa, other plantain producing region in Africa is Ghana, Cameroun, Kenya, Congo etc
Also Read: Why You should Go Into Agricultural Business
What is a Plantain?
Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar. It can be cooked , fried or eaten raw.
How to Start Plantain farming in Nigeria
The first step in plantain farming in Nigeria or anywhere in the world is
1. Land Procurement: The first step in starting sustainable and profitable plantain farming in Nigeria is to get a land. Make sure the land is fertile, free from flooded area, suitable for plantain farming
Things to look out for in When Choosing a land for Plantain farming in Nigeria
Climate : Plantain is a crop that doesn’t like too cold or too hot environment, it does well in areas with moderate sunlight and rainfall.
Soil texture: Plantain farming requires a land that does not retain water. Because too much water is not good for plantain farming.
Rich soil : Plaintain needs a fertile soil that is highly rich in all minerals for effective growth of plantain. Once all these factors are met, you are one step to starting your profitable plantain farming in Nigeria.
Also Read : How to Start Snail farming in Nigeria
2. Land preparation: Once the land has been procured, the next step is the land for planting. The first step in the preparation is to clear the land, remove the shrubs and make the land ready for farming. Here are the steps required in the land preparation. This include
Clearing: The act of removing all unwanted plants and weeding them out.
Measurement and spacing: The next step is the measurement and spacing to determine how far and wide the length and breadth of the plant would be from each other. The recommended spacing is 2ft The recommended spacing is usually between 6 to 8 feet.
Digging hole for planting: The next step is to dig the hold for transplanting your plantain sucker.
Application of manure: The next step is application of organic manure to the soil
3.Choosing the best plantain Sucker /Specie: The next step is to choose the right specie to plant. It is highly recommended you plant the hybrid specie which gives a higher yield compare to the conventional species. The cost of suckers ranges between 50 – 300 naira depending on the specie or whether it is hybrid or the conventional local type. The conventional type ranges from 50 to 150 Naira per sucker and the Hybrid ranges from 100 to about 300 Naira per sucker. The cost of sucker is dependent on the farmer.
4. Planting the sucker: After procuring the sucker, the next step is to plant the sucker, make sure the sucker are not infected and make sure you clean and treat the sucker to prevent attacks by pest and diseases.
5. Nurturing and Weeding: Just like a growing child, plantain cultivation requires nurturing to make sure the plant is growing the way it’s supposed to grow. make sure you weed Every 3- 6 months
5. Plantain Maturity and Harvest: It takes about 8 to 12 months for your plantain to reach maturity and be ready for harvest.
6.Marketing Your plantain: This is where many people get stuck, once your plantain starts fruiting, this is the best time to start doing your marketing. Visit market women in different locations to get the average prices in which plantain are sold, visit various supermarkets, fastfoods, hotels etc for supply. Once your plantain is ready, you should have enough customers to service.
Also Read: How to Start Piggery Farm in Nigeria
Advantages of Plantain farming in Nigeria
Benefits of Plantain farming in Nigeria
- Highly rich in carbohydrate which gives energy
- Contains potassium
- Rich in fiber which helps in the digestive system for easy digestion of foods
- It is rich in Vitamin which helps to build the immune system
- It is rich in Vitamin B6 which helps to boost the immune system
- It is very good for weighloss
- It helps the bowel movement and reduces constipation
- It helps to boost sexual performance
- It contain chemicals which helps to prevent ulcer
- Plantains also contain folates, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin. Folates (folic acid) are essential for healthy pregnancy.
