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How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 - Agriculture - Nairaland

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How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by lewisray: 3:48pm On Mar 11, 2019
Before we look into starting a watermelon business in Nigeria, let me quickly explain to you the descriptive aspect of the watermelon fruits in case you don’t know much about it and its origin.

Watermelon is an essential cucurbitaceous vegetable widely grown and consumed in most regions of Nigeria.

The crop is generally cultivated during November through April, depending on water availability. The fruit crop requires a hot dry climate with warmer days and cooler nights.

Although there are many varieties of watermelon, farmers prefer to cultivate hybrids as they command better prices due to their high productivity in yield and sweetness in taste.

Watermelon is an excellent dessert fruit and the juice makes a good refreshing and cooling beverage. It is an edible flesh that contains 92% water, 0.2% protein, 0.3% minerals, and 7% carbohydrates.

Below are the necessary things to consider when starting up the business.


Capital
This is the major requirement for starting any business. You don’t need a lot of capital to start up a watermelon farm; the reason being that it is cost effective and easy to start up. The capital needed will solely depend on how large you want your farm to be. Listed below are the essential costs you will need money to cover.


Soil Requirement
Watermelon thrives best in a well-drained and not in water-logged soil with good air and water infiltration rates. Soil should be of 6 -7 PH. Liming can be done in case of low soil PH. It must also be noted that fine sand produces the highest watermelon when adequate fertilizer and water are added.


Soil and Land Preparation
Watermelon can be cultivated commercially on a wide variety of soils. Sandy loams have been proven to be the best for early crop while high productivity is recorded in loamy soils. Well-drained soil with high organic matter is best suited for cultivation. Land can be prepared by ploughing at right moisture content using a tractor or power tiller drawn plough to get the required soil tilt.


Recommended Varieties/Hybrids
Many varieties and hybrids of watermelon are made available by agricultural research institutes and private seed companies.  Examples include Arka Yamato, Jyoti, and Augusta. Most commercial growers prefer Sugar Baby because it generates high yield and has good taste.


Sowing
Two different methods of sowing recommended are Furrow method and Pit method


Post Planting Operations
The post planting operations of watermelon include:
...Weed Management
...Water Management
...Pruning
...Harvesting


Marketing
Your harvest can be marketed to your target market area, which I believe you must have researched before venturing into the business. But one thing is sure; the demand for watermelon is always high.

Read complete procedure for full details
Re: How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by okoroemeka(m): 9:18pm On Mar 11, 2019
lewisray:
Before we look into starting a watermelon business in Nigeria, let me quickly explain to you the descriptive aspect of the watermelon fruits in case you don’t know much about it and its origin.

Watermelon is an essential cucurbitaceous vegetable widely grown and consumed in most regions of Nigeria.

The crop is generally cultivated during November through April, depending on water availability. The fruit crop requires a hot dry climate with warmer days and cooler nights.

Although there are many varieties of watermelon, farmers prefer to cultivate hybrids as they command better prices due to their high productivity in yield and sweetness in taste.

Watermelon is an excellent dessert fruit and the juice makes a good refreshing and cooling beverage. It is an edible flesh that contains 92% water, 0.2% protein, 0.3% minerals, and 7% carbohydrates.

Below are the necessary things to consider when starting up the business.


Capital
This is the major requirement for starting any business. You don’t need a lot of capital to start up a watermelon farm; the reason being that it is cost effective and easy to start up. The capital needed will solely depend on how large you want your farm to be. Listed below are the essential costs you will need money to cover.


Soil Requirement
Watermelon thrives best in a well-drained and not in water-logged soil with good air and water infiltration rates. Soil should be of 6 -7 PH. Liming can be done in case of low soil PH. It must also be noted that fine sand produces the highest watermelon when adequate fertilizer and water are added.


Soil and Land Preparation
Watermelon can be cultivated commercially on a wide variety of soils. Sandy loams have been proven to be the best for early crop while high productivity is recorded in loamy soils. Well-drained soil with high organic matter is best suited for cultivation. Land can be prepared by ploughing at right moisture content using a tractor or power tiller drawn plough to get the required soil tilt.


Recommended Varieties/Hybrids
Many varieties and hybrids of watermelon are made available by agricultural research institutes and private seed companies.  Examples include Arka Yamato, Jyoti, and Augusta. Most commercial growers prefer Sugar Baby because it generates high yield and has good taste.


Sowing
Two different methods of sowing recommended are Furrow method and Pit method


Post Planting Operations
The post planting operations of watermelon include:
...Weed Management
...Water Management
...Pruning
...Harvesting


Marketing
Your harvest can be marketed to your target market area, which I believe you must have researched before venturing into the business. But one thing is sure; the demand for watermelon is always high.

Read complete procedure for full details
think out of the box and bring out fresh ideas,most of the things you posted are already on goggle and Wikipedia,it easy to say 1+1=2 in goggle farming, everything looks Rosy and the future bright,but that is not the case on the ground farming,1+1=can be - 0.0.
Re: How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by lewisray: 3:23am On Mar 12, 2019
okoroemeka:
think out of the box and bring out fresh ideas,most of the things you posted are already on goggle and Wikipedia,it easy to say 1+1=2 in goggle farming, everything looks Rosy and the future bright,but that is not the case on the ground farming,1+1=can be - 0.0.
Thank you, sir. Fortunately/unfortunately, not everyone has been to Google and Wikipedia.
Re: How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by okoroemeka(m): 6:50am On Mar 12, 2019
lewisray:

Thank you, sir. Fortunately/unfortunately, not everyone has been to Google and Wikipedia.
haaaaahaa!!! you are right to some extent,but anyone that can read your post can go to goggle/Wikipedia,I watched on YouTube a young farmer in the US that planted 4 plots with 400 jubilee variety WM and got close to 2,000 balls at harvest,the average weight is 20-24 kg,it unbelievable,this is the sort of information farmers in Nigeria will really appreciate,if u can dig further down deep to research how the seed could be bought ?can the variety work in Africa?and many more questions farmers will like answers to.
Re: How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by lewisray: 7:31am On Mar 12, 2019
okoroemeka:
haaaaahaa!!! you are right to some extent,but anyone that can read your post can go to goggle/Wikipedia,I watched on YouTube a young farmer in the US that planted 4 plots with 400 jubilee variety WM and got close to 2,000 balls at harvest,the average weight is 20-24 kg,it unbelievable,this is the sort of information farmers in Nigeria will really appreciate,if u can dig further down deep to research how the seed could be bought ?can the variety work in Africa?and many more questions farmers will like answers to.
Alright. Thank you, sir.
Re: How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by gbengaoa(m): 11:09pm On Aug 11, 2019
you have not done or given any information you simply want people to move to pull traffic to your site.
goodluck
Re: How To Start Profitable Watermelon Farming Business In Nigeria 2019 by akinjuly77(m): 3:20pm On Aug 12, 2019
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I highly recommend her.

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