A lot of business savvy individuals has discovered that tomato
is a major crop that is indispensable when Nigerians are cooking.
There are a few Nigerian dishes that are prepared without tomato,what this mean is that tomato is a very profitable agri-business in Nigeria.
In the article we are going to list some facts about tomato farming that any tomato farmer or potential tomato farmer should know.
How To Start Tomato Farming In Nigeria: Quick Facts
- 1. Tomato can be grown in all the 36 states of the federation,there is a misconception that tomatoes only grows in the north,this is false as the cash crop can literally grow in any type of Nigerian soil.
- 2. Tomato is used to prepare favorite Nigerian dishes such as Nigerian jellof,stew Etc.
- 3. The crop is one of the important cash crop in Nigeria.
- 4. There is always a higher demand to supply when it comes to tomato farming which is ideal for profitable business.
- 5. Nigeria imports over 67,491 tonnes of processed tomato into the country in a year,this is to show you that the demand for tomato is at an all time high,commercial tomato farming in Nigeria is indeed lucrative.
- 6. You do not need to market tomatoes as there are already people willing to buy from you.
- 7. The best type of soil for tomato farming is a black loose loamy soil,one of the reason why tomato business is thriving in the north is because of the well set up irrigation system for the tomato plant.
- 8. Selecting a healthy disease resistant specie is the first step to producing quality tomato crop,the Roma specie is said to be one of the good specie and also the Italian specie.These tomato specie is known for their low water content,plumpness,hard back and good shelf life.
- 9. Irrigation channels are almost indispensable if your planning to start tomato farming on a commercial or large scale level,this however will add to the cost of setting up your farm.
- 10. Consider adopting the nursery method which is basically nursing the tomato plant for about 4 weeks before transplanting. This will enable the plant to have a good start and also prevent attacks from insects and birds. This is also referred to as Protective Breeding.
- 11. Application of fertilizer might be needed in other to improve the nutrient of the soil,preferably an organic fertilizer,ensure that the ph level of the soil is around 6.0 to 6.8.
- 12. Before setting up your tomato farm it’s imperative that you calculate some of the costs of setting up the farm like cost of land, cost of tilling the soil, irrigation channeling, cost of seed purchase, nursery set up,fertilizers,transportation and other expenses.
- 13. Tomato thrives in the raining season,that is the perfect time to plant your cash crop.
- 14. Birds and rodents attack tomato crops,you can set up scarecrows to help scare birds away.
- 15. It takes up to three months,for you to start harvesting your tomato.
- 16.Tomato farming might be very profitable,but setting it up is actually a little bit capital intensive.
- 17. You can sell your produce at any local market near your area.
- 18. Make sure your tomato plants are planted where they will get a minimum of 10 hours of light,also leave space between tomatoes for air to freely circulate.
- 19. When applying to the plant,try to water deeply on the soil not on the leaves this should be done every 5-7 days.
- 20. Manually break or remove non fruit branches of the potato plant,this will make the plant to thrive more.
- 21. Plant your tomato at intervals,to ensure that you don’t harvest all your crops at once.
- 22. Consider building a greenhouse where you can plant all your crops,a greenhouse is a shelter where you plant your crops,the advantage of constructing a greenhouse is that you will be able to plant and harvest crops at a time where there is scarcity of a particular cash crop,this means that you can make more profit. Greenhouses come in different sizes from small to large.
- 23. After harvesting, keep your harvest in a dry place,,you should also note that you cannot store tomatoes for a long period of time,so the market where is must be sold or delivered to must be on stand by.
Listed above are some of the the quick facts that you should know about tomato farming in Nigeria.
