Thursday, October 31, 2013

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

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 2nd year and beyond. There are three benefits to you. 

First benefit is that you won’t be buying fresh suckers for planting in the 2nd 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
Phone:2348035978352


Saturday, October 26, 2013

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
Phone: 2348035978352

Friday, October 18, 2013

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


Monday, October 14, 2013

Plantain Farming in Nigeria: The Other Side of the Coin No One Is Telling You!


 This plantain farming blog, like my chicken blog at     www.johnayodele.wordpress.com, is set up for the benefit of Nigerians to educate them about plantain farming and to encourage them to set up starting small. Stop blaming the government. Wake up!
Plantain farming is one of the major money spinners in the agricultural sector in Nigeria. It is also the fourth most important crop in the world. Its uniqueness is in its ability to reproduce itself in geometric proportions. 

A Nigerian plantain farmer who is diligent in his business, cannot go poor or be broke in any season. Unfortunately, the thousands of unemployed persons who roam the streets looking for jobs that are not available are not aware of how to conduct this wonderful business opportunity which requires so little to set up but yields so much in returns.

If you are well informed about the plantain farming business, this blog is surely not for you. But if you are a novice, who knows next to nothing and wants to know more, then you have come to the right blog.

For starters in Nigeria, who needs the right details about the business, the following details are available:

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 above stated plantation reports contain the farm operation analysis; the income and expenditure analysis for the first two years; the challenges in the business and how to overcome them; the addresses of the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Offices in Lagos,Ogun and Oyo States, and the addresses of the right sources to get the right type of plantain suckers.



The two reports go together and cost N3000.00. Make the payment to First Bank Account 2017277846 (JO & EL Ventures), then forward payment details plus email address to 2348035978352. The reports in soft copies will be forwarded to the email address.

These reports are self explanatory and even a 6 year old boy can easily understand them. You do not have to stress yourself reading abstracts and technical jargon available in some  plantain reports. They contain what you need to know to set up the farm straight away.

On this blog, I am going to let you know the other side of the coin in this business on this blog. You can make 400% returns in plantain farming if you get it right. Some farmers do get it right but many do not. 

Therefore, not everyone has been making the 400% returns.In fact, some have messed up and are regretting their foray into it. If you need the reports now, then get them to avoid the silly mistakes some have done.

There are some factors to consider in this business and if you are ignorant of them and just jump into it based on the financials alone, you may lose out and come out with sad stories,wondering whether the witches in your father's house followed you there. 

Like i did on my chicken blog, i like to let you know the sweet and rough edges in the business, so that you know the precautions to take to make a safe landing. You should know what can hinder you from making the 400% returns in the business.Unfortunately, many Nigerian starters with their get-rich-quick mindset do not bother about the factors before jumping in.

Many promoters give you the sweet side of the story and will not let you know the rough edges. You should have a balanced opinion before you set up the farm.

John Ayodele


Phone: 2348035978352


Friday, October 11, 2013

Plantation Farming in Nigeria:Reasons For The Choice

One of the easiest and surest route to riches in agriculture in Nigeria, besides chicken farming, is through plantain farming. Plantain is a banana specie but is generally contrasted to the sweeter banana specie also known as the desert banana.

Plantain is firmer and has a lower sugar content than the desert banana. While the plantain specie is generally cooked before consumption, the desert banana is eaten raw.However, the plantain can also be eaten raw as well either in a ripe or unripe state.

Reasons for the choice:

Has an all year round market
Ease of establishing the farm
Ease of farm management
Low risk cropping
Lower start up costs
Higher profit margins from the 2nd year
Provides monthly income year round
Quicker returns on investment
Ability to replicate itself for continuity and expansion
Ability to recover from natural disasters

In the 2nd year of operation, the costs of production are greatly reduced compared to the first year because much of the major costs incurred in the first year are unnecessary and are eliminated. From the 2nd year upward, the revenues soar.

Profitability Analysis:
The profitability is based on the quantity of bunches that can be harvested per acre/hectare multiplied by the selling price per bunch of plantain. Also, it may not be feasible to realize a 100% harvest for various reasons. However, where the farm is well managed, it is very possible to realize 90% harvest level.


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