Plantain Farming – How to Start a Plantain Plantation Business in Nigeria

By
Samuel Chinedu
69
plantain farming business: setting up a plantain plantation

Plantain farming is undoubtedly one of the most profitable agri-business ventures. Most young entrepreneurs lack the knowledge required to set up a plantain plantation, missing out on the profitability of this business.

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I recently had a chat with an old time friend. He has a plantain plantation farm which has been the main source of his livelihood. Apparently you could buy plantain sucker at just #150 per sucker. An interesting fact about plantain farming is that it is harvested in batches.

After the first batch of harvest your plantain plant would keep producing more fruits till the harvest season is over. So you do the planting once and the rest is harvest every season.

Plantain is one of the most common staple foods mostly grown in the tropical regions of Nigeria and West Africa.

In Nigeria, plantain is a special delicacy prepared by frying, boiling, steaming or made into plantain chips. Recently, plantain has been processed into flour which is gradually substituting the use of wheat flour due to its superior nutritional value. Plantain flour is also exported from Nigeria to other countries of the world.

To Start a Plantain Farming (Plantain Plantation) business:

GET A LAND

The first step in starting a plantain farm is acquiring a farmland. To be successful in this business any farmland you select should have the right type of soil and located in an area with favorable weather condition for the growth of plantain.

Plantain plants do best in loamy soil, the soil should contain enough organic matter with moderate moisture content. In Nigeria the areas with the highest number of plantain plantation include: Edo, Delta, Cross river, Ekiti, Ogun, and other states in the tropics.

If the land you intend to use for your plantain farm is not rich enough with the right kind of soil, you have an option to develop the land before use. Applying organic manure like chicken manure, cow manure, etc. would improve the fertility of the soil.

While selecting a land to set up your plantain plantation watch out for a land with thick vegetation. Thick vegetation is an indication that a land contains the right soil that is rich enough for the growth of plantain.

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PREPARE THE LAND/SOIL

After acquiring a land for the plantation you will need to carry out land preparation activities on the land. These activities include clearing the land of bushes, trees, stones, stumps, etc. Land preparation also involves tilling the land and application of manure to improve land fertility (for less fertile land).

You may choose to use manual labor or use machines to prepare the land for planting (depending on the scale of business you intend to operate).

BUY HEALTHY PLANTAIN SUCKERS

plantain sucker
Plantain sucker (image: agrobosco.wordpress.com)

Plantain suckers are used to grow new plantain plants. They are outgrowth (shoot) which develop from the bud at the base or corm of the mother plantain plant. Plantain suckers mostly contain short and narrow leafs on them.

When looking for plantain sucker for your new plantain plantation, ensure you approach reputable farmers that can supply you with healthy suckers, free of disease and pest damage.

There are three major varieties of plantain suckers: water suckers, maidenhead and sword sucker. The water suckers are not so ideal to use for plantain farming business. They produce weak plant with low yield of plantain fruits.

To get the best out of your plantation, buy maidenhead or sword suckers. This varieties produce strong plants that are highly resistant to pest attack, have a high level of productivity, and produce healthy fruits.

Plantain suckers sell for as low as #80 in some places and as high as #150 in others, depending on your location. Most local farmers would give an attractive discount to any buyer buying in bulk. Once you buy a healthy variety of suckers it would serve you for many years to come. All you need to do is to get suckers from your own plantation.

GET LABOR

Depending on the size of your farm, you might have to hire laborers to carry out farming activities such as: land preparation, planting of plantain suckers, weeding and harvesting. All these could also be done mechanically. If you have a big budget and can afford to set up a large-scale plantation then mechanized farming would be more helpful to you.

Read This:  How to Start Rice Farming Business in Nigeria

PLANT THE SUCKERS

Your plantain suckers should be 4-5 feet long. While planting the suckers, keep a distance of about 8-10 feet before planting the next sucker. Ensure that the soil is moderately wet. Plantain plant does not grow well in waterlogged areas.

WEEDING AND FERTILIZER APPLICATION

Weed and other unwanted plant compete for the nutrient of the soil with the plantain plant, therefore constant weeding is required. You could employ manual labor to help with the weeding or you could make use of chemicals (depends on how large your farm is).

Application of fertilizer depends on if you started the plantation on a fertile soil. However, if you must apply fertilizer on your farm make sure it has the right proportion of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. You could also till the dead plantain leaves to the ground to improve soil fertility.

HARVESTING

The plantain fruits would be ready for harvest after about 8-10 months. Once the harvest season begins the plant will continue to produce more fruits till the season is over. Harvesting is done as soon as the plantain starts to ripen.

MARKETING

The demand for plantain is on the increase, there is always a market for the product. You could supply to companies that process plantain into flour, sell in the local market, and even export the farm produce. The market for plantain in West Africa is very large and increasing.

− Information Resources −

We’ve Got E-Books and Business Plans for You!

They contain even more detailed information to start and run your business. No fluffs, just hardcore information you won’t find anywhere else.

Click Here to Get Them

Setting up your own plantain processing plant is another sure-fire way of maximizing profit in the plantain farming business. Every business needs a business plan. So if you missed our Writing a Business Plan Course, you can go through it now and get your plan ready.

Go ahead and set up your plantain plantation. There is money waiting to be made in the plantain farming business. Share this post with your friends, and comment to share to your thoughts.

69 COMMENTS

  2. I have 3.2 acres of plantain farm in Ota area of Ogun state, I plan to lease this farm out to anyone interested in plantain farm. The plantain on this farm are matured to carrying flowers and some are matured. They also have suckers you can transplants. I have borehole in this farm and with irrigation system in place for dry season. If you are interested contact me via email on donyugos(@)gmail(dot)com. For now I have 3000 plantain stands with lots of suckers

      • Lukman Jimoh come if you have any issue with someone address him personally don’t speak about tribe here after all you have not even confirmed to know if he is saying the truth or not

  3. Good day and thanks for the this post.
    My question is if i want to start this business on small scale which yield something at the end of the production, how much can i budget to start this.

    Thanks

    • Hello Taiwo,

      Because cost varies with time and place, it would be difficult for me to suggest a budget for you. What you can do is to do a bit of research in your local market. You will come up with tons of useful information and chart a course for your business based on live data, as opposed to a guess.

      • Thanks Samuel,

        I live in lagos and I plan to get land in Ogun state for lease but can I get a rough estimate of how much it’s going to cost me for this project in Ogun state

        • A land for lease may be cost effective but I advise you buy. It is relatively cheap in some places in ogun state. However, if you find a lease, ensure you do legal paper work with the land owner which empowers you to use the land for a stipulated time.
          I live in ogun State and can be of help. I can provide you with feasibility for a fee. If interested, let me know.

  4. Thanks a lot for this piece…… sincerely I have been dreaming of a large plantain plantation that will be up to cultivating of at least 10,000 suckers of plantains.

    But my question is……how am I going to distinguish among the varieties of the different kinds of plantain suckers as listed in the piece Sir

    • Source your suckers from reputable sources. You may approach Nigerian Institute of Horticultural Research (NIHORT) in Ibadan.

  7. I know there are times that the plantain goes scarce and thereby we say it is in the off season……please I want to know if there is a way that we can plant some breeds of plantain that will yield or be ready for harvest when most plantains are out of the system.

  11. I have enough land in my village, Is it wise to go down there and start it, while I stay in Lagos? The land has loamy soil but a water like land during raining season,We do plant rice on it years back. So what do you think using it for the plantain plantation?

  12. Thanks for this piece , I really appreciate , will be starting a new job soon as a farm manager and we are into plantain plantation. I learnt a lot in what I was thought during my training and i’m also learning here too, I never new plantain babies are called suckers thank God for training and here. Thank you.

    • Hello Joy. I am also a new farm manager in a farm in Oyo State. We are also cultivating plantain. I will appreciate if we can chat so that you can guide me on some things since you are experienced. Kindly give me your contact or chat me please My number is 08165553062. I will be glad if you can assist me. Thank you very much.

  14. I really appreciate this informations. How can I be linked to plantain flour buyers. Going into it big time. We have enough land in my place.

  15. thanks for this post. Im looking at stating a 3 acres of land i have leased in oosogbo Osun state, i want to start this business. My question is what is the worse fear of Plantian Plantation Business ? in terms of the process and also marketing … Thanks

  16. Thank u for the piece! where can i get plántain sucker in Ilorin please? and how do i distinguish the different type we have?

  17. Dat was a wonderful piece. Pls I’m interested in starting a plantain plantation farm in Abia state on a 2plots of land. Pls any idea on d number of suckers i need n how I can get a high quality suckers. Joy . WhatsApp 08181731639.

  18. Thank you bro for this great knowledge you shared, I learnt alot from this. Your indeed a hero because you didn’t keep the knowledge on yourself.

  19. Plantain plantation isn’t rocket science.. It’s something that can easily done. If you follow this article.

    Plantain is known to survive, no matter how harsh the conditions are.
    Thanks for sharing

  20. Please how can i get sword or maidehead suckers in Ogun State, kindly link me up Nd send me the price, moreover, what month can i start the planting of the sucker.. . Thanks
    i will be looking forward for your reply and description

  21. Thank u for the write up sir….I planted plantain this week…but my fear is that rain is going…will they do well sir

  23. Thank you for this comprehensive insight. I would like to know how many suckers can be planted in 1hectar of land pls. 08096948514 WhatsApp

    • If you keep to the recommended 10 feet spacing, you will plant 300 suckers on a hectare of land. You can use your discretion as well.

      • Akintubi i dont think you are right as 1hactare of land comprises of 2.5acres with is equivalent to 15plots of land with measuremnt of 60by120, you gonna have about 72suckers on a plot with the recomendation of 10feet spacing. 72*15=1080. so on an hectare you shouldnt have nothing less than 1080 using the recomendation of 10 spacing. 300 suckers. please if you think im wrong give us your breakdown here

    • The number of suckers depends on the size of the land and the spacing you are adopting. For instance in southwest Nigeria here, the commonest size of an acre is 4000m. If you are adopting a spacing of 3m by 3m, then you will need 445 suckers per acre. That’s about 1,113 suckers per hectare.

  24. hello good afternoon, I will love to have a practical training on a plantain farm, like going to d farm to study and examine.Please reply

  25. Thank you for sharing this piece of information! Knowledge is power! I’ve acquired 2 acres of land, thanks to this write up I’ve decided to go into plantain farming. My land is in ibadan and I would like to know if you have any information on where I can get quality suckers! Thank you Sir!

  26. Thanks very much. I intend to acquire 1 acre of land in Ogun state this week for plantain plantation. My retirement from Lagos state will come up in three years to come, so I want to balance well before then. I need to be well trained and established on this agribusiness.
    Please you can WhatsApp this number.
    08033359237.
    Looking forward to hear from you soonest.

  30. I want to start a plantain plantation here in Port harcourt but I don’t know how to go about it.. First.. How much do you think can be enough for me to start… And how can I enroll on a training or seminar that will give a hedge to start.. It’s really my passion…

    • I really appreciate you Sir for this piece… Plz this is my whatsapp number.. 08183791508…i will really want to ask more questions on how to start.. Thanks

  36. I have always wanted to go into farming. Plantain farming will be suitable. But I needed more idea on this as not to make the wrong choice. Thanks my watsapp number is 08144517926.

  37. What is the profit potential of this plantain business?
    Is it best to sell at farm gate price or process it further into chips before selling?

  38. Well, I am grateful I found this platform. It is very useful for my work right now. I am a Liberian, based in Nimba County, North of Liberia. Currently, I am involved with plantain farming. I have about 13 acres of farm that is growing very well. I am expecting harvest in the matter of months, as my farm is in its 3 months now. I intend to venture into plantain four production. However, I would like to know whether my 13 acres is enough to begin the plantain four production that I envisioned. Although, I have plans for expansions in the near future, I wish to begin the arrangement for my plant installation in order to begin production by the end of this year. So I really would like you to advise me on the sufficiency of the 13 acres, whether the produce can substantially supply my production plant. I also have a taste of the Nigerian market, but would like your assistance in guiding my entry into your market, as well given your sincere opinion on my survival and prospects doing business in Nigeria. What help do I need and who to network with to give me the foot to thrive on. Thanks and hope to hear from you.

  39. Good day sir and thanks for the information. I am planning to buy a land next Month for a plantain faming I will really Need to ask you some question please dis is my watapp 07066243801

  41. Hello Sam Chinedu,i must commend you effort on this great write up.How can i patronize you on the two books advertised ?
    1.Bean flour production and processing .
    2.Snail farming business.

  43. Please can I start with half plot of land as that is what I have for now. If yes i need someone to guide me practically on how to start and how much I need to have before starting. Watsapp 07069762498

  45. Thank you very much this post it have given me every information I need to to start my plantain farm this year, I have 2.1/2 acar of land in close to warri, and hope to start this farming season

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