Starting commercial okra farming in
Nigeria is a very profitable venture. A lot of Nigerians eat Okra. Okra is used
in the preparation of soups.
Actually it is not too really difficult
to be successful in okra farming. All you just need to do is to cultivate your
okra crop scientifically. Farming itself is science and you should take it as a
very serious business venture. On this article we are going to discuss how you
can start successful commercial okra farming in Nigeria. The following is how
to start a successful okra farm;
Secure a very good fertile farmland: Before you actually secure a farmland for your okra farm, make sure you
carry out a soil test. This soil test will really show how fertile the soil is.
The soil test will also show the pH, nutrients and microbial count of the soil.
Make sure that your farmland is fertile. By peradventure if you cannot get a
fertile farmland you can add manure, microbial inoculants and fertilizers to
the soil in other to make it fertile.
The preparation of the Farmland: If you really want to make good money from okra farming you actually need
to prepare your farmland. The preparation of the farmland involves felling of
trees, de-stumping, ploughing, harrowing and also ridging. Loose the soil with
no hard pans. Ridges can be helpful to your okra crop. If your farmland is big,
mechanized farmland preparation is quicker and is much more efficient than the
use of manual labor.
The Installation of drip irrigation: It is advisable to use drip irrigation for the okra farm. With this
drip irrigation you can farm all year round with ease. Actually this is called
brain fed farming. Rain fed farming only allows you to farm only when it is
raining. During the rainy season periods the prices of okra are always very low
and you can experience glut. If you are not careful it can lead to loss.
With drip irrigation you can easily apply
fertilizers and other nutrients to your okra plants through the emitters of the
drip tapes. This process is actually called fertigation, if done in the right
way it can increase the yield of your crops by 40-200%.
Purchase good okra seeds: Most of the okra seeds sold in Nigeria are expired and they are not fit
for farming. Make sure you get your seeds from accredited seeds dealers. From
my little experience hybrid seeds actually perform better than open pollinated
seeds. Make sure you plant the variety of okra eaten by the people around your
farm. The okra seeds can be soak in a solution of potassium humate to increase
the germination rate. Also you can use biofertilisers and microbial inoculants
to improve the germination rate of your okra.
Purchase other farm inputs: Some of the inputs your okra farm will need are fertilizers, pesticides
and herbicides etc. Make sure you buy your inputs from good farm inputs sellers.
Weeding your Okra farm: Without been told weeds can reduce your yield by 98%. Also weeds harbor
diseases and pests. Make sure your okra farm is weed free. To make weeding very
easy for you there are small mechanized weeders you can use.
Fertilizing the Okra: You can use bio-fertilisers, manure, microbial inoculants and humates if
your okra farming is based on organic farming principles. If your okra farming
is based on inorganic farming principles you can use fertilizers like NPK,
urea, DAP, calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate etc. Make sure you purchase your
fertilizers from accredited dealers.
The application of pesticides: The application of pesticides depends on your methods of farming whether
you are an organic okra farmer or an inorganic okra farmer. There are a lot of good
organic pesticides and also a lot of good inorganic pesticides. All you need to
do is to decide on the products you want. Most of these organic pesticides are really
more effective for prevention. Make sure you apply the pesticides according to
the instructions.
Harvesting of the Okra: Harvesting the okra every two to three days will help to increase the
yield and also the well being of the okra plant.
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