In Nigeria today one of the
Agribusiness ventures that is actually gaining more global attention is
pineapple farming. Globally there is really an increase in demand for fresh
pineapple and its juice, this has actually created a readily market, sales, and
profit for the business.
Today Nigeria and Kenya are the
highest African-producing countries, other countries are Thailand, Philippines,
India, China and Brazil.
Starting pineapple
farming in Nigeria
Pineapple farming can be started as
backyard farming with a great return. Pineapple farming in Nigeria is really a
profitable business venture.
Different species of Pineapple: There are actually many cultivars of pineapple but the 2 commonest ones
are – the smooth leaf (cayenne) and the gold (yellow) crown. The newly develop
cultivar is the gold crown and it has some better qualities.
The site selection: A nutrient-rich soil is very important for great yield. Pineapples really
thrive very well on Sandy-humid soil with a good water retention capacity and
with pH that is between 4.5 and 5.5.
The site preparation for planting: Make sure you get rid of weeds and stumps on the farmland, then plough
and leave the farmland for about ten to twelve days before making ridges. Actually
during this period the land will be exposed to sunlight that will kill the parasites
and insects that might affect the pineapple plant. Make sure the site has a
good topography in other to avoid waterlogging and to control erosion. It is strongly
advice to plant the pineapples on ridges. Don’t plant the pineapples on flat
ground.
Pineapple planting: Actually pineapple is best propagated by its suckers because the sucker
grows quickly and is very easy to access. Pineapple can also be planted by its seed,
slip, or crown. The pineapple seeds are collected from the over ripped
pineapple. You can treat the sucker with acetylene or smoke before planting for
optimal yield.
The planting season: One of the best time to plant pineapple crown or sucker is between six to
eight weeks after harvest. Actually this period moisture dries. This is the
period you can treat the sucker with acetylene or smoke. The selection of the
pineapple specie to plant is strongly based on the information about which pineapple
specie sells best in a particular area.
The Climatic and water requirements: Pineapple really grows well with water during the first 4 month of
planting. Pineapple thrives well under mild temperatures.
Plant spacing: An adequate spacing for
the pineapple plant is about 30x60cm. Also the distance between rows is up to 2
meters. Make sure the pineapple sucker is at least 20cm high in height before
planting.
Weed Control in pineapple: You can apply weedicide immediately after planting in other to delay the
weeds from growing. Weeding should be kept on pineapple farm during the first 4
months after planting in other to avoid nutrients competition between the
pineapple plant and the weed. Weeding should be done about 3 to 4 times before
harvest. Weeding can be done with chemicals (Diuron and Atrazine) or by uprooting
by laborers.
Fertilizer requirement: Pineapple plants needs a high demand for nutrients. You can apply NPK
(20:10:10) between two to three months after planting. Then subsequently, apply
manure or urea at the 6th and 8th months. On the other
hand it does not need applying manure if the plant maintains its dark green in
the 8th month.
Irrigation and Drainage: Make sure an irrigation system is available
throughout the whole period. Irrigation is done in the morning or in the evening
2 times during the dry season. For water management, Deep Irrigation System
Technology can be used. It is also used for liquid nutrients application.
Pests and diseases in pineapple: Some of the common pineapple
pests and diseases are symphylids, mealy bug, wilt, phytophthora, black spot,
and root rottening. These pests can be controlled by applying insecticide on
the field when their effects are noticed. Root rottening can be controlled by
proper soil drainage.
Maturity period: Actually the maturity period
differs for each pineapple mode of propagation. The shortest maturity time is about
9 months which is for sucker propagated pineapple plant. Crown and seed
pineapple propagated mode are longer. It is at this stage pineapple plants are
artificially induced.
Artificial Inducement is a process of
making a mature plant change from the vegetative stage to the reproductive
stage of growth. An act of forcing a plant to start producing flower. It is
done by an expert to prevent excessive fruiting and to enable fruit production
during the off-season.
Harvesting: The harvest time for sucker propagated pineapple plant takes place
between thirteen to fourteen months while for crown propagated plant takes up
to nineteen to twenty months.
Marketability: Before starting this venture,
market and sales research need to be done. On the other hand there is no cause
for aches as there are markets (Like Lagos Mile 12 market), fruit companies,
and groceries that are readily available to buy pineapple at large scale. All you
need is just to find one.
Post a Comment