PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA:The Best States For Plantain Plantation

The following Nigerian states have the best comparative advantage for plantain and banana farming:

Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Oshun, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Bayelsa, Abia and Ebonyi.

The domestic uses of plantain are:
Fried slices (dodo) and  plantain chips
The industrial uses are plantain flour/bread, cake/pancake,baby foods,wine,beer,dried flakes,biscuits and cookies.

If you need land for agriculture, government land is available for lease all over Nigeria. The lands are managed by the various River Basin Development Authorities across Nigeria. 

For the lands managed by the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Authority, which covers Lagos, Ogun, Oshun and Oyo States, they have offices in those states where you can go to pay as low as N2500.00 per acre of land per year.

One of the blog followers who got the plantain reports and income & profitability forecasts on this blog has this to say:

''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

They are:

1)    A short report titled ‘How to Set Up and Manage a Profitable Plantain Farm in Nigeria’. This is a guide to operations on the farm from day 1 to harvest.

2)    Plantain Farming Income Analysis showing:

a)    The Expenditure Pattern (Excel format) for the first two years in business.

b)    The Income and Profit analysis (Excel Format) for the first two years in business based on three conservative sales prices and seven realizable yield rates from 60% to 90%.

The cost is a token N2500.00.
Pay to First Bank Nigeria Account 3008421165 (ayodele adegbulugbe) and send payment details + email address to +2348035978352,and the two reports in soft copies will be delivered to your mailbox.

The plantation reports on this blog contain the plantain farming operation analysis, the income, cash flow and expenditure analysis for the first two years, the challenges in the business and how to overcome them, and the right sources to get the right type of plantain suckers.

John Ayodele
www.johnayodele.wordpress.com
www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com
www.cassavarichesnigeria.blogspot.com

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: PHOTO OF THE PLANTAIN SUCKER

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: Plantain Powder Business Opportunity

Plantain and banana are widely cultivated in the southern and middle belt regions in Nigeria. The annual local production outruns the demand. Being a highly perishable food item, substantial quantities rot away in a short period after harvest.

When the rains start which signals the commencement of planting, the plantain farmers plant at the same time. They harvest at the same period and flood the markets with the product. After a short while, the product soon becomes scarce where much rots away due to unavailable technology for conversion for a longer shelf life.

The solution is to process the fruits into a powdered form which can be packaged and stored for a longer time without spoilage and wastage occurring. The natural flavors in the powdered form can also be utilized in industrial food processing.

Foods and drinks such as cakes, ice creams, yoghurt and custard are flavored to enhance their taste. The flavors are imported into Nigeria and are synthetic, therefore not as good as the natural flavors in banana and plantain powder. The natural flavors can be imparted into other foods.

There is a readymade market within and outside Nigeria for banana and plantain powder. Nigerians in the diaspora, who are looking for businesses to do in Nigeria can look into the aspect of setting up a suitable processing technology to convert banana and plantain into powdered form. The benefits are many to the farmers and to the economy.

Conversion to powder will increase their economic value and give a longer shelf life. The added value will translate to selling at a higher price than the raw fruit. The natural flavors in them are a better substitute to the synthetic flavors currently being imported. 

Foreign exchange will be conserved when the import of synthetic flavors is reduced or eliminated. Foreign exchange will be earned where the natural flavors are exported. Conversion will significantly reduce wastage and spoilage, yield more revenue to the farmers and encourage them to produce more.

The equipment required for conversion into powdered form has been developed locally and can be acquired with a moderate investment.

John Ayodele

www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: THE PLANTAIN SUCKER (2)

This blog was set up for the benefit of Nigerians, especially starters interested in plantain farming business, who need information about it.

The plantain sucker can be cultured on a farm for a period, say 3 months. If you buy a cultured 3 month old sucker and transplant on your own farm, it will take about 8 months from planting to harvest. A 3 month cultured sucker has attained a certain height.

It means a shorter turnaround time from planting to harvest. If you are planting a fresh sucker, that will start growing from scratch, then you have to wait up to 12 months from planting to harvest. You can get cultured suckers from farmers who have them on their farms and are willing to sell. There are two benefits to you:

One, you buy at a cheaper price than you will if you buy during the next planting season. Two, you will not wait 12 months from planting to harvest. If you are a starter, ensure that you are buying the improved variety sucker and buy from the right sources. Do not be deceived to buy the local variety sucker if what you want is the improved variety sucker. Open your eyes oh!

John Ayodele

www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com

www.johnayodele.wordpress.com

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: THE PLANTAIN SUCKER (1)

The plantain seedling that you will plant is known as the sucker.

The beauty of the plantain plant is in its ability to reproduce itself in geometric proportions. A healthy plantain plant can reproduce about 5 suckers around it which means that one plant has produced another 5 plants.

Therefore, you will not have to buy fresh suckers for planting for the 2^nd year and beyond. There are three benefits to you. 

First benefit is that you won’t be buying fresh suckers for planting in the 2^nd year. Second benefit is that you can sell the suckers while waiting for the harvest of the plantain bunches from the existing plants. Thirdly, you can transplant the suckers on another plot of land which means that your farm is expanding without buying fresh suckers.

There are two types of suckers in Nigeria – the local variety and the improved variety sucker. The local variety sucker takes about two years to mature from planting to harvest while the improved variety takes one year. The local variety generally has lower yields and more disease-prone,  while the improved variety has higher yields in terms of fingers per bunch, size of the fingers and the sweetness of the fruits. 

The improved variety brings faster returns on investment than the local variety sucker. The improved variety comes in different grades that indicate the level of improvement. Always go for the latest improved variety sucker. If you are a starter, go for the improved variety sucker. 

However, note that the improved variety sucker is costlier than the local variety sucker. When the planting season commences, at the start of the rains, the improved variety sucker costs about N120.00 to N150.00 per sucker even from official sources. The demand for the improved variety sucker is high. 

The demand pressure and the season affect the price. If you are a starter waiting till the planting season to buy the suckers, then you will likely get them at a higher price than in an off-season. Make sure that you get your sucker from recommended sources and buy the right sucker. This is where some have burned their fingers badly, who bought the wrong suckers from wrong sources and got nothing worthwhile at the end.

John Ayodele

www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com
www.cassavarichesnigeria.blogspot.com

www.johnayodele.wordpress.com

Phone:2348035978352

Email: ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com

PLANTAIN FARMING IN NIGERIA: Crucial Information for Starters

This is the 5th post on this highly acclaimed,informative plantain blog set up to educate Nigerians about the potentials in plantain farming business for wealth creation. If you are one of those Nigerians, foolishly roaming the streets for non-existing white collar jobs,put on your thinking cap and stay glued to all the posts on this blog.
 
Plantain farming is a profitable venture in Nigeria, where the land is fertile for its cultivation and there exists a large market to absorb the produce. The market is far from saturation and more farmers can come in and set up farms at any scale: micro, small or large.

If you do the financial analysis, you can make 400% returns if the farm is operated in excellent conditions. There are challenges that can hinder you from making the 400% returns. The plantain reports on this blog been updated with the challenges and how to address them. What makes excellent conditions is also in the reports.

Now that you know how to access government agricultural lands all over the federation, go ahead and pay as little as N2500.00 to lease an acre of land per year, at the River Basin Authority’s offices covering your state. Ensure that they have irrigation facilities to water the plants during the dry seasons. This is important and you may not just assume.

Normally, a River Basin must have irrigation facilities. But some may not have functional irrigation facilities. Or their facilities may be inadequate to water all the farms in its jurisdiction. 

If you are planning a large farm, you may have to set up your own irrigation facilities to provide water for the plants during the dry season. In the next post, I am discussing the issue of suckers for planting. If you need suckers for planting, there are suckers everywhere for sale. But buy from the right sources.

For your information, other  River Basin Development Authorities in Nigeria include:

Anambra-Imo RBDA

Benin-Owena RBDA

Cross River Basin Rural Development Authority

Chad Basin Rural Development Authority

Hadejia-Jamaare Rural Development Authority

Lower Benue River Rural Development Authority

Niger Delta Basin and Rural Development Authority

Sokoto-Rima River and Rural Development Authority

Upper Benue River Basin Rural Development Authority

Upper Niger River Basin and Rural Development Authority

Lower Niger River Basin and Rural Development Authority

If you need land leasing for farming, search for their offices and contact them.

John Ayodele

www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com

www.johnayodele.wordpress.com

Phone: 2348035978352

Plantain Farming in Nigeria: How to Get the Land For Your Farm

In this post, i am discussing one of the sweet aspects of the plantain business which is about the availability of land for farming. If you want to do commercial plantain farming, land is available all over Nigeria. 

Stop blaming the economy and the Federal Government for your joblessness if you are unemployed. Open your eyes wide, sit up and think straight. Nigeria is not a failed nation. The Lebanese, the Zimbabwean farmers and the Indians can see what the Nigerian can not see. It is a pity!

The lands are government agricultural lands managed by the River Basin Development Authorities (R.B.D.A) and there are many of them all over Nigeria in all the states of the Federation. 

A tract of land measuring about 12 plots or the size of a football field can be leased from the authorities for about N2500.00 per year. You can set up with a plot as a starter.

To access the land, go to the office of the respective River Basin Authority and pick a form, pay the fees and within 48 hours, the land will be allocated to you as close as possible to where you want it. The payment is renewable for as long as you are using it,else it will be withdrawn and be reallocated to others.

The R.B.D.As have irrigation systems that supply water to the farms during the dry season. Also tractor services for plowing and cultivation are available at highly subsidized rates. Fertilizers and seedlings are also available at subsidized rates as well. 

If you are one of those looking for salaried jobs in today's Nigeria, please stop that madness! Go pay N2500.00 for a hectare of land for plantain farming.

The Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority covers Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Oyo States. They have several offices in different states.  Make enquiries there for how to lease land for farming.The land issue is sorted out and you have no excuse if that has been your problem.

John Ayodele
www.plantainrichesnigeria.blogspot.com
www.johnayodele.wordpress.com
Email:ayodeleade2002@yahoo.com
Phone:2348035978352