Most Profitable Farming Business to Invest in Nigeria

Most Profitable Farming Business to Invest in Nigeria | The agricultural sector is one of the most flourishing sectors of the Nigerian economy.

With proper strategic planning, any individual having basic knowledge of farming and manufacturing operation can start in the most profitable farming  business in agricultural sector of Nigeria.

Nigerian government recently have been showing more interest in  agriculture and  now asking the Nigerians daily to go back to farm. It’s clearly the direction the country is heading.

Nigeria is known to be blessed with many agricultural products by nature and is glooming daily in that line.

Farming in Nigeria has obviously turned out to be a good sector in recent years, So if you’re planning to venture into agriculture, here is  the list of most profitable farming business in agriculture to help creating jobs and opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Farming has become a lucrative field that give rise to several millionaires in Nigeria, with a view of creating more wealth through farming in the coming years. 

Most Profitable Farming Business to Invest in Nigeria

Farmers are among the Richest people In USA and Australia. You can make it on a large scale here in Nigeria and still make millions if not billions yearly.
Choose the most suitable niche today and start mapping out a plan or blueprint on how to successfully run the business.

The most profitable farming business in Nigeria includes Crop farming business, Livestock farming business, and general farming business ideas. 

1. Crop farming business.

The most lucrative crop farming business in Nigeria includes:

• Cassava Farming

The popularity of cassava make one of the most profitable farming business in Nigeria and the plant is also the major source of food for Nigerians. It is hard to tell which one between rice and garri is the most popular food in Nigeria.

Both are the most consumed food staples among the citizen. Apart from garri, there are countless of other food stuffs that are processed from Cassava in Nigeria, one of which is fufu. 

The introduction of the high yield species of Cassava has made it possible for Nigerian cassava farmers to produce more cassavas per plot.

•  Rice Farming

Nigeria is one of the world’s highest Rice consuming nation having it as one of the most profitable farming business and major staple food among Nigerians. Almost every family eats rice daily in Nigeria.

In 2011 alone, Nigeria spent N991billion on rice importation and the rice we import is said to be nothing less than 10 years old in storage meaning we spend billions of naira buying rice that has since lost its nutritional values.

Any entrepreneur who invest into rice farming and get it right is sure to be smiling to the bank. A bag of rice is currently sold for N16,000 to N20,000 depending on the quality.

A farmer who is able to invest in large scale rice production in Nigeria and able to produce 100,000 Bags of processed Rice in a year, sell at wholesale price of about N13,000 per bag, he will be making 13,000 x 100,000 = N13,000,000,000.

Rice farming is a capital intensive business and you can kick start it with 5-10 million naira.

• Tomato farming

 Just like rice, the tomato is another crop which Nigerians can’t do without because most Nigeria foods are been prepared with it. Tomato is an easy yet lucrative crop production business to set up in Nigeria.

Tomatoes demand is high massively high even higher than rice because it is a perishable goods that are immediately consumed.

Even one can go to the extent of exporting this crop outside Nigeria for maximum profit; all you need is to have an interested buyer whom you have negotiated a price with.

• Plantain Plantation

One unique thing about Plantain is that when planted, it keeps producing year in year out for eternity. Just Like Rice and Garri, Plantain is widely consumed in Nigeria.

Any food that is popular in Nigeria is always a huge income source due to the large population of the country.

Farmers in Nigeria are not really taking advantage of the opportunity in Plantain Farming to create wealth for themselves.

Plantain is highly priced in Nigeria and is always in high demand all year round.

You can Fry, Boil, Roast or even bake it to make your products. Millions of Naira is obviously lying idle and remain untapped in plantain Farming in Nigeria.

• Pineapple Farming

Ask any Australian Farmer and he will tell you how huge the income in Pineapple farming is in their country.

Any juice maker that doesn’t have Pineapple flavor variety in his product line is not yet in business. That tells you how popular Pineapple is, not only in Nigeria but worldwide.

Nigeria seems to have better soil for Pineapple Farming than Australia where Farmers are making it big in the business.

A Pineapple sells in Mile12 market in Lagos for about N300. If you are able to harvest one million in a year, you will earn at least N150 x 1,000,000 = N150,000,000

•  Maize Farming

You will never know the profit in Maize Farming in Nigeria until you try it. One thing I like about maize is that everything happens fast. It takes less than Four months between planting and harvesting so you earn cool cash and smile to the bank.

• Vegetable farming

 Everyone loves to stay health, be it young or old. Vegetable farming is another good Crop farming and production business in Nigeria, which one can simply start up.

• Beans Farming

A bag of Beans cost twice more than a bag of Rice and Garri. The Northern Nigerians are making it big in Beans Farming, supplying almost all over Nigeria and beyond.

But one thing is that, this same Beans also can do very well in the South East, South West, and South South Nigeria soils. So why only farm it in the North?

•  Potato farming

Potato farming in Nigeria has been around for quite a while now in Nigeria, and a lot of people have been engaging in it as a source of income while other are engaging in it for sole consumption for themselves and their family.

This is also a good business opportunity which you can set up as your major source of income.

• Soybeans Production

If you haven’t given it a thought of investing in this healthy crop? Then have a rethink. Soy beans, which is the most vital source of plant protein in livestock feed can be either processed as soy meal or full-fat soy which is used in poultry meal, catfish feed, and other livestock feed.

Setting up a commercial soybeans plantation will not only be a crop sold for the local markets in Nigeria, it can also be imported because it’s an international crop that is also popular at home and abroad.

Another interesting thing about setting up a commercial soy beans plantation business in Nigeria is that you can also process some of your soybeans into soy oil and also sell the remaining as raw soybeans to buyers interested in the market.

• Cucumber farming

Commercial cucumber farming or production is yet another agricultural business idea that you should consider. This healthy crop has by far been in the market for a while but little or few attention has been given to it.

When you set up commercial cucumber farming in Nigeria, you may not be exporting this crop to other countries but you will sure be selling them to major and minor states all over Nigeria.

Crop farming and production in Nigeria has really come of ages, most farmers who are not into animal rearing has in one way or the other set up crop production.

• Palm Oil Business

After cocoa and Cashew, Palm business is the most profitable farming business in Nigeria. Palm oil is required to prepare almost all Nigerian delicacies, thus, there is a high demand for palm oil all year round.

You can either start a small-scale oil processing business or purchase the oil in drums and resell for a higher price. Read this detailed info-guide on how to start a successful palm oil business in Nigeria.

• Sugar Cane Business

Most industries that produce edible products prefer to make use of sugarcane instead of the white granulated sugar. You can start a sugarcane farm (especially in Northern Nigeria), and supply the matured sugarcane to industries for profit.

•  Yam Business

Yam is another staple food that is in high demand in Nigeria. You can start a large scale yam farming business or you can purchase the yams at a cheaper price from places like Benue State and sell at a higher quantity to retail sellers.

•  Spice Cultivating Business

There is a high demand for spices like curry, thyme, scent leave, nutmeg. You can cultivate these spices, dry and package them for sell.

• Mushroom Business

The high demand for mushrooms both within and outside Nigeria has made the mushroom business a viable one. The good thing is that mushrooms take just few weeks to mature, so you can get returns from this business in a matter of weeks.

Economic Classification Of Crops Farming

• Cereal or Grain crops: Cereals are grasses grown for their edible seeds, the term cereal being applied either to the grain or to the plant itself. Cereals include wheat, oats, barley, rice, maize, sorghum, millets, etc.
• Root and tuber crops: These include sugar beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, cassava, potatoes, and cocoyam
• Legumes: These include groundnuts, cowpeas, soybeans, lima beans, and pigeon peas. They all belong to the family Leguminosae and are grown for their edible seeds.
• Oil crops: The oil crops include soybean, peanuts (groundnuts), sunflower, safflower, sesame, castor bean, mustard, cottonseed, corn and grain sorghum, and flax.
• Vegetable crops: This group includes potatoes, tomatoes, and onions.
• Fiber crops: These are grown for their fiber. They include cotton, jute, kenaf, hemp, ramie, and sisal.
• Sugar crops: These are crops that are grown for their sweet juice from which sucrose is extracted and crystallized. They include sugarcane and sugar beet.
• Forage crops: These are vegetable matters fresh or preserved that are utilized as feeds for animals. They include grasses, legumes, crucifers, and other cultivated crops.
• Rubber crops/latex crops: These crops which include Para rubber are grown for the milky sap or latex which they produce.
• Beverage crops: These crops are also sources of stimulants. They include tea, coffee, and cocoa.

The production requirement and useful guidelines on some of the crops grown in Nigeria have been discussed in full details in different 

2. Livestock Farming 

The Top Lucrative Livestock Farming  Business in Nigeria includes:

• Pig Farming.

Pig farming in Nigeria is one of the lucrative and profitable livestock businesses. Commercial pig farming is beneficial due to the fact that pigs are prolific breeders and can deliver 10 to 14 piglets in a single birth.

Pig meat (pork) has an excellent demand since the red meat is a good source of protein and tasty as well. The pork market in West Africa alone accounts for about $3 billion consumption value. 80% of that is sourced by importation. That is a lot of untapped revenue.

• Poultry Farming

Everyone knows how profitable poultry farming is, it doesn’t need much introduction. Yet, it is still not fully tapped.

What we currently have is few badly managed, scantily equipped poultry farms here and there. I’m yet to see a full fledged, high tech poultry farm except Obasanjo Farm.

Entrepreneur who is able to fire up serious investment into this sector will have huge profit to contend with. The reason is because Nigerians eat chicken more than snakes does and 70% of our consumption still based on importation.

The egg is yet another gold mine!. See category of poultry farming below:

• Poultry Farming – Broilers

This is for meat production. The good thing about broilers is that they take very little time to mature.

The best time to start this business is February against Easter sales and October for December sales.

The cost of a day old chick is N125, while a week old chick goes for N250. It is advisable to go for a week old chicks because they have a higher survival rate than the day olds.

The bulk of your expenditure should go on feeds for the chicks for the duration of 3 months. At maturity, a chicken can be sold for between N2,000 and N2,500.

If only 35 of your chicks stayed till maturity, you can make N70,000 after sales.

• Poultry farming – Layers breeding

Here you are breeding your layer chickens with the major aim of having them lay eggs. It takes more time and costs a bit more money for this business to mature but here is the good thing: it gives you two major sources of revenue.

You sell the eggs, which is very lucrative anytime, and when the layers become weak, you sell them as well.

• Catfish Farming

Catfish Business is becoming popular in Nigeria right now but how many are really getting it right? Get it right and you’re in money. A single Catfish sells for a minimum of N1000 in Restaurants and about N800 – #1500 in the market.

• Goat Rearing

Its only in the North that goat is reared in commercial quantity.Why would you chose to sell used shoes in Oshodi or other places in Lagos and make just few thousands of Naira every year when you could actually engage in productive farming business and make millions of Naira?

Get involved in professional goat rearing and make money for yourself. A full grown goat sells for between N25,000 to N50,000

• Rabbit farming

Rabbit rearing is a business that requires less space and can therefore be done anywhere. The capital investment is relatively small. You will however need to have an in-depth knowledge of how to raise the animals, and do extensive market research to determine who your customers are.

Every single part of the rabbit is useful; from the skin which is used to leather production, to its furs which is used for clothes manufacturing and meat for consumption.

Before you start your rabbit farming business in Nigeria, you will need:

Cages or hutches: These should be able to protect the rabbits from heat and humidity.

Feeders and drinkers

Kits/baby rabbits

Feed: This may be processed feed or edible vegetable and leaves, elephant grass, potatoes and different kinds of herbs

•  Cattle rearing

Cattle farming is the process and practice of raising and nurturing cattle from birth until the point at which they provide meat or milk for consumption. The reasons why cattle farming is lucrative in Nigeria are not hard to imagine.

One, we are a nation of beef consumers. And two, although cattle are raised primarily for beef or milk production, there is no part of the cow that isn’t useful. Other ‘by-products’ include dairy products, cow hide, cow horns, bones, hooves and stearic acid.

Cattle farmers basically raise cattle either to sell as a whole or sell their products.

Getting started cattle rearing business in Nigeria, you will need:

Farmland: A very large piece of land.

Farm equipment:

Cow sheds

Feeding and watering equipment

Healthy calves

•  Honey Bee Farming.

Honey bees can produce lots of honey, and selling honey can be a lucrative business for people who aren’t allergic to bee stings, who don’t have a lot of money, and who have a little space in their backyard to farm their honey bees.

Honey is one of the oldest sweeteners on earth. Lucky for us, it also has many health benefits and uses. Keeping bees at the large scale for commercial purpose as a business plan is increasing in this fast growing world.

• Snail Farming

Snail Farming is the most profitable farming business in Nigeria and the business is really picking up in Nigeria as it being introduced in several dishes recently. The profit potential for you in snail farming is about N50,000,000 Annual revenue.

•  Dog breeding

Dog meat is cherished by several people, especially in Southern Nigeria. However, most people do not keep dogs for meat. Dogs are mainly kept as pets and for security reasons.

• Honey Farming 

Honey is expensive in most African countries because few people are involved in honey bees farming. This is a business you can consider as there is very little competition in this business. However, you need to get trained before you can begin.

•  Rabbits & grasscutter farming

This is another business with little competition. Rabbits and grasscutter meat is cherished by many people. You can sell your grass cutters and rabbits to restaurants and hotels and directly to consumers. See a detailed guide on grass cutters farming.

• Quail Farming Business

Ever since Nigerians got to know the health benefits of eating quail eggs, the demand for quail meat and eggs has skyrocketed. You can start a quail farm business with as little as N20,000. 

You can earn passive income from selling the quail birds and supplying quail eggs to foodstuff sellers.

•  Grass cutter Farming

Nigerians love Grass cutter meats. You can start a grass cutter farming business where you rear grass cutters for supply to restaurants, joints and hotels.

Business Ideas in Agriculture to Invest in Nigeria

There are unlimited opportunities in the agricultural sector; here we have highlight some of the agriculture business ideas you can start:

1.  Poultry equipment manufacturing

These are usually skilled artisans who construct various equipment needed on the poultry farm – welders, carpenters, electricians etc. You can learn the various specifications needed for the poultry equipment and you are in business. 

2. Online Agric Agency Business

You can serve as an online agent for farmers. You place product adverts on sites like www.alibaba.com, once an order is placed, you source for a farmer that has the produce and supply for a certain percentage of the total sells.

3. Chicken and egg distribution business

Chicken and egg distribution business is also one of most profitable farming business in Nigeria. This basically involves bridging the gap between poultry farmers and the consumer market. It is very lucrative and requires relatively little money to start-up.

You can focus only on chicken, eggs or both. You meet poultry farmers, buy their stock and resell them in the market to wholesalers and retailers. It does not need any special skills, only your marketing abilities and a working vehicle.

4.  Raw Agro Product Supply Business

Most industries in Nigeria make use of raw agro products during production. You can serve as a middle man to supply these industries with the necessary raw materials, for a fee.

5.  Fresh vegetables business

The fresh vegetables business is a small-scale business that you can start with little or no capital base. One benefit of this business is that it requires no cost of maintenance to run the business. Also, there is always demand for fresh leafy vegetables like; the Waterleaf, Scent Leaf, Ugu leaf and Green.

To run this business, you need a small space in your compound or nearby farm where you can cultivate the vegetables. For cultivation, you only need to plant the stem of the vegetable. It takes six weeks or less for the vegetables to mature for harvest. You cut the leaves and sell to consumers and marketers.

6.  Agro-Produce Exportation

Agro-produce exportation is one of the most lucrative agriculture business ideas one can invest in currently. Nigeria is major exporter of some highly sought agriculture produce like cocoa, cashew, sesame seeds, bitter kola, etc.

7.  Yam Flour Production

Most people prefer to prepare their pounded yam meal from yam flour instead of pounding cooked yams. The era where African men required their wives to pound yam every night for dinner is fast fading away. 

8.  Corn Flour Business

To start this business, you need to buy like 3 buckets of yellow or white dried corn for about N500 each. Take it to the engine where you grind into flour. You can sell a custard bucket of the flour for N800.

9.  Fodder Growing Business

Most livestock farmers especially those that rear pigs, sheep, and goats have a need for the daily supply of fodders. Fodders are mostly grasses like clover, alfalfa, grass and wheat. You can grow these plants in commercial measure and sell to livestock farmers for a small fee.

10.  Flower Business

Flower is used for decoration. You can start a flower business in a nursery, and then you sell to house owners and hotel owners. You may charge an extra cost to the buyer to help transplant the flower from the nursery to a permanent soil.

11.  Fish Hatching Business

This is for people who are highly experienced in fish farming. A lot of people who wish to start the fish farming business prefer to hire the services of a fish hatching consultant instead of purchasing fingerlings which is more expensive.

You can start a fish hatching business to help fish farmers start up and expand their business. The amount you charge for your services will depend on your site and number of fingerlings you are required to hatch. 

12.  Farm Machinery Maintenance Business

Farm Machinery Maintenance Business is also one of most profitable farming business in Nigeria. Most farmers that make use of heavy farm machinery always have need to service and keep up such machinery. You can start farm machinery maintenance and repair business.

13.  Transportation Business For Farmers

One of the challenges most farmers encounter is the lack of means of transportation to get their farm produce from their farms to the market. You can start a farm transport business to help farmers sort their transportation needs for a fee.

14.  Foodstuff Distribution Business

You can buy Foodstuffs in bulk quantities from the one part of the country and resell in other parts where such commodity is required. For example, you can buy palm oil from Nsukka and resell in Abuja or you can buy yam from Benue and resell in Sokoto.

15. Bean Flour Production

Most people prefer to use beans flour for moi-moi and akara. To produce bean flour, you need to buy beans. You can start with 5 buckets of potisco beans at the cost of N1,200 per bucket.

Wash out the outer back, dry and grind. In order to build a brand for your business, you may need to place a label inside your packaged bean flour.

16.  Consultation Services For Farmers

If you have a special training in an aspect of agriculture, you can provide consultation services for farmers in the field and charge them a small fee as payment for your services.

17.  Bamboo Stick Business

If you look around, you will notice that most of the football viewing centres and drinking joints are built with bamboos, thus there is a sizable demand for bamboo sticks.

The good thing about this business is that it takes just 2 months for a bamboo plant to mature, and a matured bamboo stick is sold for as much as N500. Thus, in less than 3 months; you can start reaping some returns on your investment.

18.  Agro-Export Agent

Agro-produce exporters need agents who procure agriculture commodities from farmers. These agents know where the farmers and the process for exportation.

19.  Agro-Based E-commerce Site

Also, you can start an E-commerce site where farmers can display their products for sale. Many farmers complain that agents rip them off their hard-earned profits. So an agro-based E-commerce site will bridge that gap and remove the middle man. It will connect farmers directly with buyers.

20.  Breadfruit Business

A cup of breadfruit is sold for N120 or more depending on the place, and there is an ever high demand for breadfruit despite its high cost. This shows you that the breadfruit business is a practical and profitable business.

21.  Tomato Processing Business

Most of the processed tomatoes (tin or sachet tomatoes) consumed in this country are imported from foreign countries. You can source for fresh tomatoes from Northern farmers and start your own tomato processing company. 

22.  Local Food Restaurant

Most of the fast foods and restaurants serve only intercontinental dishes. You can start a restaurant that serves only free local dishes like yam and oil, breadfruit, nkwobi and isi-ewu.

23.  Shea Butter Extraction and Refinery

There are many agro commodities to invest your capital but one stand out product will always be Shea butter. A large market exists for Shea butter world-wide, particularly as it is organically produced.

Shea butter is in high demand and is a wonderful product. It has high prospect and sells well in the international market.

24.  Farming Equipment Leasing Business

If you have large capital at your disposal, you can buy mechanized farming equipment and lease to farmers for a daily fee. Some of the farm equipment that are on high demand are tractor and harvesting machines.

25.  Cassava Processing Business

Garri which is also known as cassava flakes (eba) is one of the widely eaten staple foods in Nigeria. The industrial processing of cassava in Nigeria holds much potential for investors. Cassava can be processed into different products like garri flour, fufu, tapioca, ethanol, chips, starch, glucose syrup, etc. 

26.  Starting a Blog on Agro Niche

Young people are embracing agriculture as an entrepreneurship venture. Most of them need reliable and accurate information to get started. You can start a blog on a niche in agriculture to bridge this information gap.

27.  Charcoal Supply Business

Most industries use charcoals in large quantities. You can buy charcoal in large quantities from villages and supply to bakeries and other industries that make use of it.

A bag of charcoal can be purchased for N1,400 and resold for N2,000 or more. Not just for local supplies, you can also export the charcoal outside the country for a higher price.

Why You Should Start Farming Business  In Nigeria

Now that you know the most profitable farming business in Nigeria,  as earlier said, farming is a glorious sector in Nigeria. Hence, below are the reasons you may want to consider before venturing into farming:

• Nigeria is largely populated with over 200 million people which is twice more than the populations of Zimbabwe and South Africa combined. Nigerians depend on staple foods produced from farms and other farm produces for their daily meals and sustenance.
• Nigeria has one of the biggest expanse of Land in Africa of which 70% is available for farming.
  Nigeria has large expanses of fertile farmlands laying fallow across the nation. Nigerian land area is about 910,770 sq km. The land area of any country is the country’s total area, excluding areas that are considered to be water bodies.
•  The Nigerian government is willing to assist any willing farming entrepreneur/investors with the necessary supports and logistics. The Government is seriously turning its attention to promoting farming in Nigeria to help improve food productions in the country and minimize food importation.
• Nigerians boasts the highest purchasing power in Africa, far more than any other indigenous Africans. We buy things here and we pay cash. Talk about parties, Nigeria is the most merriment people on earth. The food used for parties and merriment in Nigeria can feed four other African countries.
• By the time Nigeria attain its full capacity utilization in agriculture, farming will become a great foreign currency earner more than the oil. The implication is that Nigerian farmers will be able to earn in Naira as well as in other foreign currencies.