Cassava Farming In Nigeria: How To Start & Make Money (2020)
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Do you want to start cassava farming in Nigeria? if yes then have you to read this our A to Z guide on how to start a profitable cassava farming in Nigeria.
Cassava has become the major food which is mostly cultivated in most part of Nigeria today because of their fertile land and high interest of the citizens in farming.
As most practice in Aninri local government of Enugu state, Nigeria.
In this my blog post am going to outline the step by step guide on how to start cassava farming and make huge profit.
With out wasting much time let’s go straight to the points.
How To Start A Cassava Farming In Nigeria.
Below are the steps on how to start a cassava farming in Nigeria.
- Site preparation.
- Clearing of grass and spraying of herbicide.
- Selection of cassava stem for planting.
- Preparing for cultivation.
- Best season for planting cassava.
- Cassava spacing when planting.
- Harvesting of cassava.
- Processing of the cassava roots.
Site Preparation
Site selection is a major area in which Every single farmer have to look into before selecting an area for planting of his/her cassava in other to get a high return of investment.
Because of this there are some soils which suites different species of cassava and if they are planted in a wrong soil that is not favorable to that particular specie u will end up losing all your investment.
The following are the things to consider before selection your most preferred site for cultivating.
.The texture of the land.
. Check the ability of the soil to resist pest attack.
. Verification of the performance of the vegetable around the farm.
. Check the topography of the land.
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Clearing Of Grasses And Spraying Of Herbicides
After the selection of site the next step involved is the clearing of grasses which can be done either manual or by the use of chemicals.
The manual method is the use of cutlass or machines in clearing the grasses which can be done by yourself or employing laborers to do the clearing.
While the chemical method involve the use of herbicides to kill grass,The chemical method takes longer time because this grass will have to decay in other words add a manure to the land.
After two weeks this grass have to be cleared with cutlasses and set on fire prone to hallowing.
This method requires a professional in that field that will help in spraying the chemicals and and getting it appropriately.
Selection Of Cassava Stem Varieties For Plantings
Cassava stems are characterized or selected based on their performance. This characteristics is based on the following,
- Stems that produces cassava with in a very short period of time.
- Stems that resist has the ability to resist pest.
- Stems that produces in large quantity
- Stems that grow healthy and fast
- Stems that are appropriate for the soil.
Among all this cassava varieties characterised above i will be recommending the following stems for their rapid growth and performance.
TMS(2)1425
TMS 92/0327
TMS 20/0525
They are also some cassava verities that also perform very well that are not listed above.
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PREPARATION FOR CULTIVATION
After the selection of the stem has been done, we move ahead to the applying of herbicides.
Herbicides must be applied because it is an agent used to destroy plant growth.This is done in about six (6) to seven (7) days prior cultivation.
Always prepare ridges for planting of the cassava stem, if it is cheaper, employ a machine planting machine, but the most preferably is the use of Manuel labour. This total cost must be specified during land preparation.
best season for planting of cassava is all year round but the ideal time for cassava cultivation is from early September to early December which marks the end of the raining season.
The reason behind this is because it doesn’t require high rainfall hence needs a moderate rain with the harmattan that comes with dry season.
Under these condition the farmer will have a great harvest unlike when it is cultivated in other periods of the year. cassava those not require much rain to survive so in other words the ideal time for this is September.
How Is Cassava Planted And Spaced That The Stem Is Pushed Into The Soil And Leave The Other Side Open.
while planting cassava spacing should be observed in another word, it should be planted in ridges of about 35-40cm width in average and 45-60cm in height in each rows.
APPLICATION OF FERTILIZER
To be successful in cassava Farming you have to learn when to apply fertilizer
Fertilizers should be applied 10-15 weeks after planting the stem to enable it grow faster.
Types of fertilizer
There are various types of fertilizer which is used for cassava farming in Nigeria, these fertilizers are:
N. P. K fertilizer.
N. K fertilizer.
Muriate and potash fertilizer.
Right now I will recommend the best fertilizer for cassava from Amazon, you can check it below.
HARVEST OF CASSAVA STEM
It takes about 11-12 months that is approximately one year for the cassava to mature for harvest.
At this time the leaves turns yellow in color and starts falling off from the stem.
The first thing to do when this plant is matured is to cut off the stem and sale it out or preserve it for planting again, Since it is the stem that survives when planted unlike beans, groundnut and maize that can only survive when the seed is planted.
The root must not be remove unless when it is about to be prepaid for either garri or for akpu.
CASSAVA FARMING AND PROCESSING IN NIGERIA
The following are the procedures on cassava farming and processing.
The next thing that follow after cutting the stem is the removal of the root and pealing off the back cover.
Cassava is a multipurpose crop because it could be used to produce garri, kporo (alibo),akpu, breads and other produce.
PROCESSING OF GARRI.
There are over 20,000 twenty thousand garri processing plants owned by different individuals in urban areas.
The plants are always at any time of the day so as to reduce over crowding and improve efficiency which is the major factor that attracts foreign buyers.
The processing of garri starts with harvesting of the root followed by pealing out the outer covers then followed by grounding and drying through the Jack. After that here comes frying of the garri.
PROCESSING OF AKPU
The processing of akpu starts with the harvesting of the root followed by pealing and washing.
It will be soaked in a container filled with water and allowed to stay for about 4 days within which the root will be fermented, they are now separated from the chaff using a sieve.
After that sieved fermented cassava is now ready for cooking.
Feasibility Study on Cassava Farming in Nigeria
Feasibility studies or feasibility studies should not be forgotten in cassava farming in Nigeria.
It enables a farmer to plan for the amount to be incurred before preparing to plant the cassava and also to be able to calculate the profit after harvesting and sales.
START UP CAPITAL
Land(lets assume u are on rent) ———–#40,000.
Site clearing/preparation of the land ————#15,000.
Cassava stems in bundle——————-#15,000.
Application of fertilizer(Chicken poo) ———————#8,000(3,000).
Herbicide application—————–#7,000.
Weeding of grasses——————#5,000
TOTAL——————–#90,000.
HOW PROFITABLE IS CASSAVA FARMING IN NIGERIA?
Cassava farming in Nigeria is a very profitable agro business. Looking above to our feasibility studies a cassava farming with a total investment of #90,000 naira can fetched you upto #200,000 naira if well managed.
CONCLUSION
Cassava farming in Nigeria have been found to be one of the most profitable agro crop businesses in nigeria but this business will be successful only when properly taken care of.
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