Crop Farming Business- Have you ever thought of diving into crop farming in Nigeria? Get practicable ways to activate your thought into making money by starting most lucrative and profitable crop farming business in Nigeria.
Crop Farming Business has been one of the Agricultural businesses coming into a more reality business in Nigeria. Its economic benefit and overall health benefits have made it one of the undoubted businesses that accompany everyone’s daily demand globally.
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.
The major secret of making it big in crop farming business and production in Nigeria; is choosing one or two crops you feel you can do better in and invest in it to avoid the shortcoming in businesses.
To help you choose right, we have list out some the most profitable crop farming business in Nigeria you can startup.
What Is Crop Farming?
Crop farming is the cultivation of plants for food, animal foodstuffs, or other commercial uses. A variety of techniques including organic production methods can be used to manage crops.
People may enter this career through a family business, by training on a farm with experienced farmers, or by attending college to get a degree in agriculture or a related subject.
It can involve long hours and harsh working conditions, along with unpredictable profits from year to year.
The types of crops grown can depend on environmental conditions, market demands, and preference. Some crops have a limited growth range dependent on temperatures, available water supply, pests, and other factors. Others may be cultivated in a wider range of conditions.
Things To Know Before Starting Crop Farming Business In Nigeria.
Before you dive into crop farming business in Nigeria, You must put the following information into consideration to avoid business quake.
1. Technical Know-How:
This is perhaps the most important thing to know when starting an agribusiness.
Whether you’re venturing into fruits and vegetable farming, poultry farming, fish farming, or whatever, a lack of the right technical know-how could lead to a major loss of your investments.
You need to understand how to plan for any agribusiness of your choice, know the cost of equipment, the production techniques, the water content of the soil, irrigation, and a whole lot more.
2. Licensing and Registration:
Every business in all countries requires some form of registrations. This could be a company registration or an association registration.
Whatever it is, you have to ensure you’re duly registered with all the right bodies and organizations to avoid stiff penalties for violation of rules you may know absolutely nothing about.
3. Choice of Plant or Crop
Choosing the right crop to plant is crucial to the success of any agribusiness.
When most people are starting an agribusiness for the first time, they tend to follow the popular trend and do what everyone else is doing. This ends up leading to failures because they acted without insight.
According to the FAO, rice farming is one of the most profitable aspects of agriculture.
But rice only grows in certain conditions. Again, pig farming is another profitable aspect of agriculture that could be ventured into.
No matter what aspect of agriculture you set your focus on, it’s important you do an extensive research, get as much information about its revenue and profit potential.
4. Condition of Farmland:
After deciding what to plant or not, your efforts could entirely go to waste if you’re operating from a farmland with the wrong soil type or atmospheric conditions.
Some plants thrive in moist soil, others in dry soil, and many others in highly controlled environments. Starting an agribusiness without considering what soil type is best for your business can lead to wasted efforts and investments.
5. Potential Risks:
You need to consider the possibility of environmental hazards and threats like insects, snakes, rodents, and more. There are many risk to consider in setting up your crop farming business. If you’re running a rice farm for instance, you have to be careful to completely make the environment save from rodents or other animals.
6. Available Market:
While certain farm products may excite you to venture into their growth, there may be little to no market demand for it in your community or country.
Before you venture into the cultivation of any crop, it is important you explore the available market, determine its size, examine its potential for scale, and also consider the possibility and feasibility of exportation.
7. Financial Analysis:
This is one of the most important things to know and must be paid careful attention to.
Before the start of any business at all, a careful and highly-detailed financial analysis must be carried out to determine how profitable or not the business is, how long it may take you to break-even, the potential expenditures, and a whole lot more.
By doing a thorough financial analysis, you can better understand how to create a budget and put your money to good use.
25 Most Profitable Crop Farming Business In Nigeria:
Here is a list of the most lucrative and profitable crop farming business ideas to start in Nigeria. Plant some crops in small or large scale to get started:
1. Yam Farming:
Yam is consumed almost everywhere in the world, but this particular food is considered popular in Africa. In Nigeria, yam production was what sustained the economy until oil was discovered.
Yam farming is cultivated and popular in almost every state of the country as farmers who engage in this kind of farming either sell their yams for money or use it for feeding.
Either ways, Yam farming business is a lucrative one which is sure to yield you profit.
2. Pepper Farming:
In Nigeria, pepper farming in Nigeria is mostly planted in the Northern part due to the belief that this area has the best composition of soil to grow it, but in recent times, it cultivation has developed to any part of the country and it can be transported across different regions, states, cities, and villages across the country.
Optimal profitability in pepper farming requires a profound knowledge of agricultural technologies and best practices by the intending farmer. You can make huge profit in Pepper Farming in Nigeria
3. Watermelon Farming:
Watermelon is rich in nutrients which include potassium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, B vitamins as well as vitamin A and C.
It is also made up of an antioxidant known as lycopene which protects the skin from ultraviolet rays of the sun. Frequent consumption of watermelon can help to prevent sunburn.
The lycopene content can also help reduce the risk of cancer. Below are listed some of the health benefits of water melon.
Watermelon is widely cultivated in Northern Nigeria; it is very popular in the North. Large quantities of watermelon consumed in Southern Nigeria come from the Northern part of the country.
However, water melon can be cultivated in any part of the country.
4. Pineapple Farming:
Nigeria is the largest producer of Pineapple in Africa and the 7th largest in the world, with Costa Rica, Brazil, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and India being first six. Pineapple farming is indeed a great goldmine in Nigeria as the fruit can be processed into Jams, syrups, dried fruit chips, e.t.c which can be used locally or exported.
Nigeria has a huge and untapped market potential in the sale and use of processed pineapple products as we currently import concentrates(used for the production of fruit juice and sweetners) from South Africa(the second largest producer in Africa) and with the entry of SHOPRITE into the huge Nigerian retail market, canned South African Pineapples additionally creates a sleek entry into the Nigerian market.
5. Cabbage Farming:
This is one of the most lucrative farming businesses in in Nigeria. Cabbage is a cool-weather crop. Grow cabbage in spring so that it comes to harvest before the summer heat or start cabbage in mid to late summer so that it comes to harvest during the cool days of autumn, winter, or early spring.
- Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost in spring.
- Place cabbage transplants in the garden when they are 3 to 4 inches tall as early as 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost in spring.
- Direct sow seed outdoors when the soil can be worked in spring.
- In mild-winter regions, start seed in late summer for a winter or spring harvest.
6. Carrot Farming:
This type of crop farming business is also very profitable in Nigeria. Carrot is largely cultivated in the Northern Nigeria. Major producing states are Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Jos.
This crunchy delight is made up of 88% water, 4.7% sugar, 2.8% dietary fiber, 1% ash, 0.9% protein and 0.2% fat. Yep it’s CARROT! Many use this root vegetable on a daily basis but they don’t know basic things about this vegetable.
Carrots are of different species depending on the size, shape, and color, they includes:
- Nantes varieties: These consist of different varieties of carrot but are generally sweet and crispy, cylindrical carrots, with blunt tips. It grows healthier and better in soils that are heavy and is usually the easiest carrots to grow in home gardens. Its colours are mostly orange, and this is the specie that is widely grown in Nigeria.
- Imperator carrots: They have long, slim tapered roots and grow well in light, sandy loam soil.
- Chantenay Carrot Varieties: It’s characterized by its short and stout nature and has a crown tapered to a rounded point, like the Nantes varieties this is also grown in heavy or rocky soil.
- Mini Carrot Varieties: This is mostly grown in containers because it grows well in shallow root zones and harvested small and they also perform well in heavy or rocky soils.
7. Groundnut Farming:
Groundnut has a botanical name of Arachis Hypogaea, Groundnut is sometimes referred to as pea nut by most people.
The crop groundnut is regarded as a profitable cash crop because their entire products are useful and it is one of the major sources of edible oil in the world. Groundnut is grown in places like Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Adamawa, Bauchi.
8. Oil Palm Farming:
Nigeria is one of the most producing countries of the oil palm farm product. Oil palm grows in abundance in that tropical area but can also do well in a high climate condition that has abundance of rainfall as well.
Oil palm is one of the most profitable cash crop because all the parts has various areas of application (uses). Though it requires patient to grow oil palm because it takes over 3 years for the crop to get to maturity and starts bringing fruits.
Oil palm is grown in places like, Delte, Cross rivers, Edo, Bayalsa, Ogun State and some others.
9. Rice Farming:
Rice is a huge investment that creates a considering income when properly setup in Nigeria.
Every tribe in Nigeria consumes rice; therefore there is a high demand for rice in the market. It doesn’t matter if it’s been referred to as “local rice”, so far it’s stone less and neat, people will always demand for it.
As the federal government placed a ban on the importation of foreign rice, the cost of rice also increased in the market. People are trying to purchase local rice but yet there are few people who are producing it.
Therefore rice farming has the ability to grow fast in Nigeria.
10. Cashew Farming:
Cashew farming is very productive type of farming that produces two product at a time the Cashew Apple and the Cashew Nut. The crop is widely consumed and it is grown in places like Imo, Enugu, Abuja, Niger and kwara.
The cashew nut are package and are exported to other countries, the cashew apple are used to make cashew juice or drinks.
11. Tomato farming;
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.
12. Kola nut Farming:
Kolanut also known as cola is gotten from kola tree which is cultivated in tropical rainforests of Africa like Nigeria. Kolanut has a major part to play in our country tradition.
Despite the fact that Nigeria is ranked as the number one in the production of kolanut, we only export 10% to other countries. Ogun, Kwara, and Osun States are widely produces of kolanut in Nigeria.
13. Plantain Farming;
Starting up a good and healthy plantain plantation is a good business to set up in Nigeria. It is also easy to start.
What you need is a good land with rich soil and perfect sucker. One unique thing about plantain farming is that you don’t need to plant the replant every year because the stem is already in the soil.
14. Vegetable farming;
Vegetable farming is another good Crop farming and production business in Nigeria, which one can simply start up.
Plant your vegetable, take care of it and watch it germinate. It is not necessary for you to go to the market and sell it directly to the consumers, but you can sell them in a bundle to the retailers who sell in the market; which will help in reducing stress.
15. Coffee Farming:
Coffee as a Cash crop has two widely grown species which are Arabica and Robusta. The coffee Arabica is a beverage crop that is originated from Africa. States like Bauchi, Kwara, and Osun are good cultivators of Coffee crop in Nigeria.
16. Cassava farming;
Nigeria is rated as the largest exporter of cassava in the whole of Western African. The main cassava producing state in Nigeria are Taraba, Delta, Imo, Kogi, Anambra, Kogi, Enugu, Ondo.
This agricultural business is a flourishing one, because you don’t only sell your cassava, you can also convert it to starch, cassava flour or Garri; which I can say is the better opposition because Garri or Eba (another name for it) is a food that Nigerians consumes in higher quantity., so there is a high demand for it in the market.
And to top it all, almost all the land in Nigeria is quite good in setting up a cassava farming business in Nigeria, so you don’t have to be typically selective of land type.
17. Cocoa Farming:
Nigeria is the 4th largest producing country of cocoa product in Africa and it is the 3rd largest Africa exporter of the crop.
Cocoa beans seed contains a lot of fats which are used to produce cocoa butter that are turned into chocolates that are converted through grounding to produce beverages.
Edo, Osun, Oyo, Ondo are some of the producing states of cocoa In Nigeria.
18. Maize farming;
Over the years maize has been the number food that has been consumed in ages. So, therefore, Maize farming in Nigeria has been practiced continuously, from using local tools to modern tools.
There is a high potential profit in setting up a maize farm where buyers can come to purchase maize in bags and tons for the production of pap, feed, grains and beverages. Know that all it takes is a period of fewer than 5 months and your income will start coming.
19. Beans farming;
This protein giving crop is also a good business opportunity and investment. There is a huge investment income in setting up beans farming in Nigeria. It can be planted anywhere in Nigeria and not only pro
20. Rubber Farming:
Nigeria and West African has been know for the production of rubber. Rubber is harvested as a liquid called latex from the para rubber tree.
The latex is gotten from the tree through an opening on the bark of the tree that is made by cutting of the tree.
The harvest is done mainly in the morning and in the evening. The collected latex are processed into dry forms so as to be able to market them.
It has be proven that rubber tree can produce for over 3 years if it is well taken care of and handled.
duced in the Northern part of Nigeria.
21. 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.
22. Soybeans FArming;
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.
23. Tobacco Farming:
Tobacco is widely cultivated in some states in Nigeria like Osun, Sokoto, Kwara and Oyo State. The crop requires high temperature to yield well.
24. 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.
25. Cotton Farming:
Cotton is soft in texture and fluffy in nature, It falls under the family of Gossypium crops. Cotton are grown in the Northern and the Southern part of the country in places like Kwara, Sokoto, Zamfara, Oyo, Ondo and many others State.
Cotton Crop used to be one of our major sources of foreign exchange as it was yielding good revenue for the country then through exportation. It has now give way for oil since the management required for it has been transferred to oil.
Notwithstanding, A lot of farmers in Nigeria still cultivate and produce Cotton in both small and medium scale. With this, cotton still maintains a position as one of the most profitable cash crops in Nigeria.
Benefits Of Crop Farming In Nigeria Economy:
1. Provision of food;
We all know this, this is the major purpose of agriculture; to feed the nation. Nigeria has a popular population of about 170 million people and above (it still increases yearly by 2.8%); no matter the number of people that invest in agriculture, there will still be an available space for more investors or farmers.
2. Increase in GDP;
Agriculture has contributed highly to the GDP of our economy. And apart from crop farming and production in Nigeria, agriculture in Nigeria also entails, animal rearing and husbandry, production and selling of farm chemicals and fertilizers.
And we can say that all this has backed up and pushed up the economy GDP and also enlarge the size of the domestic market for the manufacturing sector.
3. Provision of employment;
Agriculture as a whole agriculture has as created an employment opportunity for some people. Most individual who are a graduate of the university with good grades has turned to agriculture as a means of income since there is no job available.
And it also increases the supply of domestic savings.
4. Importation of crops;
Marketing of your crops should not only be limited in Nigeria; agriculture has created a mutual relationship with Nigeria and other neighboring countries even extending to Europe by this; providing foreign exchange earned by the agricultural exports.
5. Making Nigeria a producing state;
it’s inspiring if Nigeria is seen international as a producing State instead of a depending state which depends on other countries to feed her citizen.
General Challenges Of Farming Business In Nigeria:
The absence of fundamental facilities and inadequate systems have been a major stumbling block in the agriculture business in Nigeria. Here are the challenges people going into farming business in Nigeria may face.
1. Lack of Information
Limited access to information stands as a root challenge most small scale and large scale farmers face today in Africa with most farmers missing out on new and improved farming methods which greatly limits their output.
Farmers located in remote places suffer more since they have no means to access information due to the inability to afford and operate technological devices; more so, Illiteracy of farmers is a worse case because they are unable to process important information which makes no difference.
2. Insufficient Financial Support
Lapses encountered in farming practices puts farmers in situations where they need financial support to enable them grow, expand and improve their yields.
There are various micro-financing institutes in operation today in Nigeria but so many farmers still cannot access them and others encounter delayed financing.
3. Access To Better Fertilizers
Agricultural lands are becoming more expensive as the day goes by; and most poor farmers have no choice than to farm on same piece of land over and over again.
The effect of continuous farming on same piece of land results to land degradation whereby fertile lands lose most (if not all) of their nutrients and become unproductive or barren.
Thus farmers greatly depend on artificial fertilizers to enable them grow crops and improve their yields; and the difficulty in accessing needed fertilizers undermines the efforts put in farming on such degraded lands.
4. Market Access
Marketing involves getting the agricultural products from the farmers to the consumers. Access to markets is one of the biggest challenges faced by smallholder farmers which directly affect their income and living standards.
Lack of market facilities and poor government regulations poses serious threats to farmers, where after harvesting they are unable to sell off their produce at good prices.
5. Transportation Challenges
This is another major challenge facing not only the agricultural sector but also the economy in general throughout Africa.
Farm produce in Africa lie in waste in remote areas and this is mostly because farmers encounter difficulty in transporting their farm produce to the available market to sell as there are no storage facilities to help preserve perishable produce from rotting. Good roads don’t exist and most remote areas find themselves cut-off from the rest of the world.
