Okra as a plant is a very nutritious and delicious vegetable that contains lots of minerals and vitamins. It can also be easily cooked and eaten as drawl soup which taste very delicious.
Okra grows in many parts of the Nigeria but it is mostly seen in the eastern and northern part of the country because the people there are mainly into FARMING. The success of this okra farming business depends on the amount of work put in by the owner/farmer, he or she must be ready to exercise patient and take proper care of the plant.
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| Okra Plantation image credit:omafra |
Okra farming is a very profitable business because it is eaten by almost all tribes in Nigeria and also by other Africa countries. Okra farming can be a easy thing to do if the necessary procedures is followed when planting it.
It is advisable to start okra farming business toward the end of the year when the rain is too much and there is just enough sun because light is very important in the growth of the plant. Although okra can grow in any pH condition but it produces faster and better in warm and sunny climate.
READ ALSO: Make Money From Plantain Plantation
BENEFITS DERIVED FROM OKRA FARMING
1. One main benefit in this farming business is cost efficient. That is, it is less expensive to start and easy to do.
2. Research: you need to conduct proper research and have also the desired materials and requirements to begin. Like, time management, experience and knowledge about how to grow okra plant.
3. Another important factor and benefits in starting this okra farming business is to find a suitable location. You need to look for the right place/land space to begin your farming
4. Processing and Preservation: okra are process and preserved in the traditional ways of slicing, sun drying and grinding. Sliced and dried okra are then stored in baskets while freshly harvested okra are put in baskets and covered with leaves for at least three(3) days after which it will be sold on wholesale and retail basis to final users.
5. Labour and Cost: in other to manage and run your okra farming business effectively and efficiently, you need to hire or employ few hands to help with the work load. Like, land clearing, digging, ploughing, heaping,ridging,planting and harvesting. All this can be done in a pay as you work basis so as to manage operational costs.
There is no assurance concerning price in the okra farming business, it fluctuates. Like, during the dry season, it is quite expensive. A basket of okra can go for about #3,000 Naira, while in the rainy season, a basket can go for as low as #500 Naira. This is so because the demand for it in the rainy season is not as high as that of the dry season. And as a wholesaler that need to sell in large quantities, you need to ensure that you plant lots of okra
CHALLENGES FACED IN OKRA FARMING
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| HARVESTED OKRA image credit:zaraimedia |
1. Transportation cost: this is one major challenge face in this business. For instance, as a wholesaler who have customers/buyers to supply from both far and wide, the cost of getting vehicles/mini truck to convey your okra to these buyers is another thing to consider. To lease a vehicle/mini truck used to cost #5000naira but with the constant hike in petroleum price, it now cost about #15,000naira. So you can imagine the strain it will have on the owner/farmer.
2. Break down of vehicle/mini truck: one never plan for such in their business but it does happen sometimes. In the process of conveying goods to other parts of the country to meet buyers, the chartered vehicle may experience one sort of failure which might result to delay in the delivery of the goods and in some cases the goods got spoil and it becomes a loss for the business owner.
On withstanding, the okra farming business is a lucrative business to go into because for a business that have a consumable market for it, you can always be sure of its success.
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