Watermelon Farming In Nigeria

Table of Contents

Watermelon farming business plan in Nigeria is available here and its regularly updated, it can be used for Bank loans, Grants, proposals etc.

Watermelon to is one of the most consumed fruits not just in Nigeria but in the world at large. This makes watermelon farming business to be one of the most profitable businesses you can venture into. If you are thinking of starting this business and you do not know how to go about it, well there is good news for you, this article will help and give you a direction about this business, why it’s a good one to venture into, how start, and most importantly what you need to succeed in the business.

There are several points that will be highlighted in this article; this will give you a straight perspective about water melon business in Nigeria.

Nigeria has the soil and the climatic conditions that support the growth of this kind of crop. This also one of the agribusinesses that contributes to food and economic value of the country so just in case you are thinking that this business would not yield as much as you think, I think it’s high time you changed your way of thinking because this business is o of the most profitable agribusinesses in Nigeria if you know the right things to do.

Watermelon Farming Feasibility Study

What is Watermelon farming

This is the cultivation of watermelon for substantial or commercial purposes. This crop can do well irrespective of your state or location. This is one of the good things about watermelon farming. The demand for watermelon in Nigeria is so high and unsaturated this is why it’s a very lucrative one because in no distance time due to high demand so much would have been made.

There is so much to consider when going into watermelon farming. Here are the highlights of some major things to consider when starting a watermelon business in Nigeria.

Business plan

It is very important to get a comprehensive business plan before you go into this business. To be successful in watermelon farming business, you need a road map to follow and that is what a business plan is. Conduct feasibility or have someone do it for you. It’s important. A good business plan will help you know the best variety to venture into and how to source for capital if you are starting and also how to maximize your profit.

If you want to do well in the business, a business plan should not be negotiable. A good business plan should contain, Executive summary, operation method, sales and marketing strategy, SWOT, market analysis, competitive analysis, financial projects etc.

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Site Selection

This is a very important aspect of this business, although watermelon is not like some crops that are selective about the kind of soil they thrive in, water melon are tolerant and will do well in a good soil. Although they thrive and develop well in hot and dry climate which is the simple explanation the bulk of it comes from the northern part of the country but however the case all you need for the crop to thrive is a good soil and adequate sunlight so you have to be careful where the site of your farm is located.

The soil should have good amount of organic matter. The location of the farm is very important. This will make the distribution process easy, it is difficult is your find yourself in a terrible location. One of the reasons farmers goods perish is because of inadequate transportation before the good are transported to the consumers, they are already perishing so choose a good site for your farm where it would not be difficult to deliver to customers when the fruits are matured.

Seed Selection

There are different varieties of watermelon, there are Crimson Sweet water melon, Yellow Crimson sweet watermelon, Sugar Baby water melon, Charleston Gray water melon.

Crimson Sweet Watermelon

This is one of the most popular water melon, it takes about 85-90 days to fully mature and it weighs about 25kg. Like the name Crimson Sweet, it’s a very sweet water melon. When its planted, there should be about 30 to 55 inch apart.

Yellow Crimson Sweet Watermelon

This water melon has moderate sugar content, they are originally from Africa and they weigh about 13.6kg. Yellow Crimson sweet water melon takes about 80 days to mature, inside of it are bright yellow-orange with big black seeds.

Sugar Baby Watermelon

This is also one of the most popular water melons; they are also called icebox type because of their small size. The sugar baby water melon takes about 78 days to mature and they weigh about 8-10 pounds. Inside of the water melon is red and a light green rind with dark stripes.

Charleston Gray watermelon

These ones are often used to make watermelon rind pickles. They take up to 85 days to mature and weigh about 25kg. This kind grows yearly.

Pre-planting Operations

It is important to plough the soil before planting the water melon seeds. The seeds can be planted the same day the land is ploughed or a day after. This important this is to have the land ploughed. This crop can be planted in flat land or in ridges depending on the soil type or the number of water melon to be cultivated.

It’s better to plant on ridges when planting on a clay soil and if you want to grow them in large quantities for commercial purposes. Watermelons do not do well in Water logged lands, which is the reason why water this is an aspect you have to be careful about when planting in clay soil. It is advisable that the land be drained of water so this crop can thrive.

Planting

The method of planting watermelon depends on the variety of the water melon. Watermelon seeds can be planted under soil temperature of at least 70°F, the preferable a soil pH is between 6 and 6.8. Under this condition, the crop will do well. The plant rows should be 2 meters apart and they should be spaced 1 foot apart. However some variety would prefer more space like the Crimson sweet watermelon. For this one, the ridge should be at least 10 feet, apart.

During planting, the hole should be 30cm deep and diameter of 1m. You can make up to 10 holes in a ridge and plant one seed per hole. The best period of the year to plant watermelon in southern Nigeria is March, June, July and September, in the northern part of the country May and July. However, anytime you choose to plant watermelon most especially for commercial purposes uttermost attention should be given to it.

Post-planting

This include adding manure, watering the plant and checking it from time to time for signs of growth, pest infestation and maturity. When adding fertilizer to your plant, it is better to add humus than to add fresh/organic manure. If fresh/organic manure is added, this could affect the taste of the fruit and also weaken its resistance to fight against diseases.

It is advisable to add inorganic fertilizers like potassium and Phosphorus; this will improve the quality o the fruit. During the early stages, the plant requires high level of nitrogen but once the plant flowers and fruits, this should be reduced. Until the plants matures, irrigation should be done once a week

Harvesting

Watermelon takes about 3 months to mature, there are signs to look out for such as dying of the tendrils, uniform color, cracking sound at the rind when pressure is place on the water melon and a dull sound when flapping the fruit, although color changes will also mean that the water melon is mature.

To harvest water melon, cut the stem close to the fruit with a knife. It is very important to deliver them to your customers as soon as they are harvested

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