How to make money from cassava farming in Nigeria

 

Cassava farming in Nigeria is becoming more and more profitable with the increasingly diverse use of cassava products. In Nigeria today, Cassava farm product has become a source of lively hood and food for many people. About 90% of Nigerian households consume cassava products on a daily basis. The products from cassava are wheat-flour, garri, commercial caramel, animal feed, and a lot more.

As long as the population of Nigeria and Africa in general continues to grow, the demand for cassava products will also continue to increase, leading to higher profit that will be generated by cassava farmers in Nigeria. The reason why most people are not able to venture into cassava farming is because of lack of capital. Capital actually hinders a lot of business activities from taking off. Currently the Nigerian government through the country’s Bank Of Agriculture (BOA) has made agriculture loans available to millions of potential and active farmers in Nigeria.

If you are actually looking for an agricultural business that can guarantee you of selling out all your harvests every year, cassava farming is one of the great farming businesses you can start.

How to make money from cassava farming in Nigeria

The following are the step by step on how to start a cassava farm business in Nigeria:

 

1.    Start by selecting a good site for your cassava farm: If you want to get a site to setup your cassava farm, make sure you pick an area with deep well drained loamy soil, adequate rainfall, and warm and moist climatic conditions. Cassavas really grow best in these areas. The easy way to identify the lands that is with these conditions is to see if; The land has thick vegetation around it, the soil texture is very good, the land is actually flat or gently sloping. Picking the right location to startup your cassava farm is very vital.

 

2.    You need to improve the soil for planting: This particular step is not actually important if you have already selected a good site to grow your cassava crops. By peradventure if you did not select a good site, you need to spend a lot of money to improve the soil for planting the cassava. Some of the practice that are commonly used to improve the soil for cultivation are; adding manure to the soil, preparing good seedbeds, planting the cassava crops along with other crops, etc.

The soil for planting must be very fertile for cultivation, otherwise you will lose millions. A Little mistakes as this must be totally avoided. One of the best options is to choose a good site, with this you don’t need to go through the pain of improving the soil for planting the cassava stem cuttings.

3.    Make sure you select the best cassava variety to plant: There are different types of cassavas varieties that you can grow. But the best cassava variety to cultivate are the types that is widely accepted by your target market, varieties that give great yields, varieties that grows fast, and varieties that are also resistant to pests and diseases. The following are the major factors involved in selecting the right cassava variety to grow:

 

-         The cassava varieties with good food quality

-         The cassava varieties with good cooking abilities

-         The cassava varieties that bulk early

-         The cassava varieties with good ground storability

-         The cassava varieties that are tolerant to pests, diseases, and weed.

Selecting the right cassava variety to go will determine how successful your cassava farm will be. If you grow the cassava variety people are not interested in you will go out of business faster than you imagined. Make sure you find out what the available buyers in your locality are interested in and then grow those types of cassava crops.

 

4.    Make sure you select healthy cassava stem cuttings: The cassava stem cuttings are what are used to grow cassava crops. Selecting healthy cassava stems is very important in growing rich cassava crops that your market would quickly purchase. You can purchase cassava stem cuttings in town markets and villages. After you have purchased the cassava stem cuttings, one of the best place to keep getting healthy cassava stem cuttings are on your own farm. Planting healthy stem cuttings is very vital because it will help you to greatly reduce the spread of cassava pests and diseases. If you want to get cassava stem cuttings, just make sure you find healthy cassava plants. Make sure you stay away from cassava plants that have a history of pest and diseases.

5.    The planting of the Cassava: Before you actually think of planting your cassava you need to consider the land tillage method, the time of the year, the seed bed type, the method of preparation, handling, and the planting of the cassava stem cuttings. If the cassava is planted in the right conditions you will reap a healthy harvest. Planting the cassava in the right condition will increase the chances of good yields, and it will also ensure you always have the cassava harvested just when a lot of buyers need it.

 

6.    The startup and production cost: Just like any other startup business, a great execution of your cassava farming business can really make you a millionaire. In this business you need to understand the perfect costing needs to ensure you don’t generate a negative cash flow. The following is a sample of the cost of setting up a cassava farm in Nigeria:

 

The cost of Land:       # 500,000 (This depends on the location)

The land preparation:   # 100,000 (it varies)

The cassava stem cuttings:  # 200,000 (For about 100 bundles)

The Fertilizer:         # 75,000 (The price varies by the quantity)

The fermentation tank:       # 300,000

The hydraulic press:          # 350,000

The hammer mill:              # 900,000

Some of the other costs that will run deep through the cassava farm are: insecticides, carriage bags, harvesting labor fees, farm maintenance, general employee salaries, etc.

 

Furthermore, Cassava farming in Nigeria remains a lucrative agricultural venture if executed right. If you want to setup a cassava farm try not to cut corners and you will end up growing the right cassava crops everyone desperately wants to buy.