Post by Trade facilitator on May 30, 2022 9:49:03 GMT 1
The Secret Of Success In Onions Farming Business In Nigeria: All You Need To know
Onion is one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in Nigeria today, and Nigeria is one of the largest producers of onions in the world with over 2 million tonnes produced annually.
In the time past onion was farmed only in the northern part of the country.
But now it can be farmed anywhere in Nigeria. The north still remains the major producer of onions.
Onions farming is very lucrative, and it is very easy to cultivate.
It offers excellent health benefits, and it is used in the preparation of most popular Nigerian delicacies.
I doubt if there is any tribe in Nigeria that does not consume onions.
Some of the numerous health benefits of onions include but not limited to: lowering of cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels.
Onions comes in different varieties, and these include: the red, white and yellow onions. The red onion is the most popular in the country and it is of great commercial value for farmers that are involved in the cultivation.
Although many farmers are involved in the cultivation of red onions, but still there is a huge shortfall in meeting the demands of the Nigerian market especially during the rainy season.
Let us now look at the practical aspects of planting onions:
Though onions farming in Nigeria is done mostly in the northern part of the country but onions can be grown anywhere, however, to ensure optimum yield you will need to invest in a few things and one of it is irrigation.
Site Selection:
How do you select a site that is suitable for planting onions?
The soil must be fertile and well-drained; it can be sandy or loamy with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
You can add organic matter before planting in order to improve the soil quality as well as to increase crop yield.
You have to plough the soil very well in order to make the soil soft, it is usually during the last ploughing that you add your organic manure.
Planting Of Onions:
Usually planting of onions in Nigeria is done during November or December and it takes about 3 to 4 months to reach maturity.
Like we noted earlier, cultivation of onions in Nigeria is done in the northern part of the country due to its climatic condition.
And that makes about a hundred percent (100%) of the onions consumed in Nigeria to be produced in the North.
But if you are in Southern Nigeria (South East, South South, and South West) you can start your planting early in the year( February to April).
You need to do your planting on ridges, and also create furrows to ensure ease of passage when carrying out post planting activities in your farm.
The ideal spacing of plants is 15 cm by 10 cm; you can also plant the seeds on raised or flat beds depending on the topography of the land.
One major advantage of the raised beds over flat bed is that it prevents water logging.
The major cause of water logging is excessive rain, and onions tend to do poorly on waterlogged soil.
When you raise the beds and create a network of furrows, it will ensure that there's a channel of exit for the water and this can help to prevent water logging.
You can plant your seeds in the nursery first:
Planting your seeds in the nursery is another strategy that can be used to plant onions and then you will need to transplant them after 45 days. However you should space the seedlings at 10 cm apart.
Your onions need adequate watering, and you can achieve this with drip irrigation.
As a matter of policy you should do your irrigation weekly for at least two months after planting or three weeks before the plant reaches full maturity.
Though irrigation is essential during the bulb forming stage of the plant, but you must stop the watering at the right time, if not the maturation of the plant may be delayed.
Please you should try as much as possible to avoid untimely or excessive irrigation, as excessive watering tends to affect the growth of the plant.
Also you should beware of the type of irrigation you should employ, some types of irrigation are not good for onions farming, especially overhead irrigation because it can promote fungal disease infestation in your onions farm.
We can advise that the best irrigation system for onion farming is drip irrigation.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
Part 2 of the article is on its way, therefore be on the lookout.
Onion is one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in Nigeria today, and Nigeria is one of the largest producers of onions in the world with over 2 million tonnes produced annually.
In the time past onion was farmed only in the northern part of the country.
But now it can be farmed anywhere in Nigeria. The north still remains the major producer of onions.
Onions farming is very lucrative, and it is very easy to cultivate.
It offers excellent health benefits, and it is used in the preparation of most popular Nigerian delicacies.
I doubt if there is any tribe in Nigeria that does not consume onions.
Some of the numerous health benefits of onions include but not limited to: lowering of cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels.
Onions comes in different varieties, and these include: the red, white and yellow onions. The red onion is the most popular in the country and it is of great commercial value for farmers that are involved in the cultivation.
Although many farmers are involved in the cultivation of red onions, but still there is a huge shortfall in meeting the demands of the Nigerian market especially during the rainy season.
Let us now look at the practical aspects of planting onions:
Though onions farming in Nigeria is done mostly in the northern part of the country but onions can be grown anywhere, however, to ensure optimum yield you will need to invest in a few things and one of it is irrigation.
Site Selection:
How do you select a site that is suitable for planting onions?
The soil must be fertile and well-drained; it can be sandy or loamy with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
You can add organic matter before planting in order to improve the soil quality as well as to increase crop yield.
You have to plough the soil very well in order to make the soil soft, it is usually during the last ploughing that you add your organic manure.
Planting Of Onions:
Usually planting of onions in Nigeria is done during November or December and it takes about 3 to 4 months to reach maturity.
Like we noted earlier, cultivation of onions in Nigeria is done in the northern part of the country due to its climatic condition.
And that makes about a hundred percent (100%) of the onions consumed in Nigeria to be produced in the North.
But if you are in Southern Nigeria (South East, South South, and South West) you can start your planting early in the year( February to April).
You need to do your planting on ridges, and also create furrows to ensure ease of passage when carrying out post planting activities in your farm.
The ideal spacing of plants is 15 cm by 10 cm; you can also plant the seeds on raised or flat beds depending on the topography of the land.
One major advantage of the raised beds over flat bed is that it prevents water logging.
The major cause of water logging is excessive rain, and onions tend to do poorly on waterlogged soil.
When you raise the beds and create a network of furrows, it will ensure that there's a channel of exit for the water and this can help to prevent water logging.
You can plant your seeds in the nursery first:
Planting your seeds in the nursery is another strategy that can be used to plant onions and then you will need to transplant them after 45 days. However you should space the seedlings at 10 cm apart.
Your onions need adequate watering, and you can achieve this with drip irrigation.
As a matter of policy you should do your irrigation weekly for at least two months after planting or three weeks before the plant reaches full maturity.
Though irrigation is essential during the bulb forming stage of the plant, but you must stop the watering at the right time, if not the maturation of the plant may be delayed.
Please you should try as much as possible to avoid untimely or excessive irrigation, as excessive watering tends to affect the growth of the plant.
Also you should beware of the type of irrigation you should employ, some types of irrigation are not good for onions farming, especially overhead irrigation because it can promote fungal disease infestation in your onions farm.
We can advise that the best irrigation system for onion farming is drip irrigation.
Our company is one of the best companies in Agro-Export Business in Nigeria today, we train individuals and corporate organizations on how to do Export Business the right way; if you are interested, please contact the admin of this forum now for further details.
Part 2 of the article is on its way, therefore be on the lookout.
