Monday, May 13, 2019

Plantain Farming: How to select a good site for sustainable production


To be able to establish a plantain farm for increased and sustainable production, while reducing costs and maximizing returns on investment, the farmer should be acquainted with basic and affordable techniques required in field establishment and maintenance of a profitable plantain farm.

Any field establishment for sustainable plantain production must take into account the basic needs of high organic matter and water supplies. Nitrogen, potassium and magnesium are very essential and required in large quantity for good crop performance. 

Therefore, a soil analysis helps to ascertain the nutrient status.

The following steps are essential in field establishment for sustainable production:
·        Selection of the site
·        Preparation of the land
·        Field layout and digging
·        Planting and field maintenance
F

How to select a good site
A good site provides a smooth gateway for increased and sustainable production and a profitable farming enterprise. A visual observation of the site can provide adequate information on the suitability of the site.

A land with predominantly grass weed is less preferred and should be avoided because grass compact the top soil and makes establishment to be more difficult. A land with too many big trees should also be avoided.
The site should be well drained as water logging and flooding is disadvantageous. A land with a lot of organic matter is recommended.

In an area with prolonged dry periods, irrigation facilities are necessary because plantains require an average 120mm -160mm of rain monthly and 2000mm -2500mm rain per year.

Ayodele Adegbulugbe




Sunday, May 12, 2019

How to ensure maximum returns in plantain farming



A farmer who wants to reduce cost and make maximum returns in plantain farming must take note of many factors and ten of them are as follows:

1.     If you are a rain dependent farmer, start planting when the rain is steady and when there is a long break in raining, you need to do irrigation

2.     Plant clean, disease and pest free suckers. You may treat the suckers with chemicals such as fungicides and insecticides before planting

3.     Procure and plant improved planting varieties

4.     Weed the furrows at the early stage before the canopy closes in to prevent competition for food, moisture and space between the weeds and the plantain plants

5.     Add manure from poultry and cow dung if available and these are better than inorganic fertilizers

6.     When clearing the land, avoid using heavy machines as they destroy the rich topsoil essential for good growth and development of the plantain plants which thrive within the 20cm top layer of the soil

7.     Procure the suckers from government agencies and you may procure them from other plantain farmers but ensure that you get the right species

8.     Practice inter cropping to maximize resources per hectare or acre of land

9.     Use more of casual labor than permanent labor during harvesting and planting

1Timely pruning of diseased leaves help minimize the spread of disease to other plants

Ayodele Adegbulugbe


Tuesday, May 7, 2019

The Economics of the Plantain Farming Business

Post 16.

Plantain is one of the cheapt staple crops to produce

It provides gainful employment to many rural dwellers

It is very economical to establish, requiring a very small capital investment compared to its returns (see the Income and Profit Analysis Report on this blog)

It brings in quick returns on investment as it reaches maturity and pays off the cost of establishment within a year

The cost of producing plantain relative to returns is much lower than that of other stable crops like rice, cowpea, maize, cassava and yams.

It has good export potentials where the export potentials are properly harnessed.

Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com
www.johnayodele.wordpress.com
Lagos, Nigeria.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Plantain Farming in Nigeria: Reasons Why You Should Inter-Crop



Post Number 15 

For maximum revenue and steady cash flow, you can do inter-cropping on your plantation farms. For example, a plantain farm can be inter-cropped with short duration and compatible crops like ‘egusi’ melon or water melon at specific population densities per hectare of land. 

Note that not all short duration crops are compatible with plantain for inter-cropping. A short duration crop is a crop that can be planted and harvested within 90 days.

A plantain farm of a specified size, say a hectare containing……..number of plants could be inter-cropped with either ‘egusi’ melon or water melon at population densities of ………plants per hectare for egusi melon or…………number of plants for water melon respectively.

Note again that the specified population densities must not be exceeded else it will have a negative impact on the plantains.

The advantage of inter-cropping is that while waiting for the plantains to mature for harvest in about 12 months, you will be harvesting the water melon every 10-12 weeks which creates steady cash flow.  Therefore, go do inter-cropping on your plantain farm to avoid become cash strapped while waiting for the plantains to mature.

www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com 
www.johnayodele.wordpress.com
www.cassavarichesnigeria.blogspot.com
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU SET UP YOUR FARM

Welcome to www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com

This blog educates you about the money spinning potentialities in plantain farming business in Nigeria, for Nigerians.

There are 14 posts on this blog that present virtually all that a starter should know to do the business successfully without stress.

What you will learn here include the following:
How to obtain cheap loans for set up
How to get cheap lands for farming without any stress
The right type of suckers to plant
How to get the best quality suckers for planting
The day to day operational analysis from planting to harvest
The financial analysis (cost, income and profit analysis)
The challenges in the business and the remedies
The marketing dynamics in the business

For starters and novices, there is a valuable plantain farming business information report on this blog that contains all the details above. Meanwhile,go ahead and read all the 14 posts on this highly acclaimed plantain farming blog for Nigerians. 

One of the starters who used this blog resources to set up his plantain plantation sent the following mails at different times:

1) Dear Mr Ayodele,
Many thanks for your 'How to Start Plantain Farming in Nigeria' report and the lead to get the plantain suckers. I've now got the bull by the horn and started. Please see couple of my farm's pictures attached.
Best Wishes,
jadenuga@yahoo.com

2) ''Good day to you sir, The Plantain Farming report contents was very helpful and the cash-flow forecast was very good too.''
Email: jadenuga@yahoo.com

www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com
www.johnayodele.wordpress.com 
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com
Phone:2348035978352

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF PLANTAIN SUCKERS