Good stuff, I’ll try... hope it works for me.

cc: lalasticlala
farmtech

Tomato is a vegetable locally produced and highly consumed in Uganda. Almost on a daily basis every person has to eat a tomato in their food.

� Common Tomato Varieties Grown

The choice of a Tomato cultivar is based on fruit quality, adaptability and reliability, susceptibility to diseases and pests.

Varieties include – Money maker, Rio Grande, Tengeru 97, Asila F1, Chantan F1, Anja F1, Star and many more others

�It’s advisable to go for a hybrid seed for commercial farmers since these seeds are high yielding, resistant and produce durable fruits.

� Tomato Growing Requirements

Tomatoes give good results when grown in well managed sandy loams and heavy clay loam free of hard pan.

Best results are obtained in deep, well drained loams. The soil should be rich in organic matter and plant nutrients, with a pH value of 6 to7.

� Propagation of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are best brought up using seeds.

However you can also use cuttings from mature plants to get more seedlings

◼ Nursery Preparation

You can Broadcast the seeds on the raised bed and lightly cover with soil.

Or else you can create shallow lines using your finger and place the seeds there, then cover with little soil.

◼ Transplanting

In one acre, you plant over 8000 plants with a spacing of 2*2ft.

Seedlings are usually ready for transplanting 2-3weeks after sowing, and they must be transplanted on moist soil.

At transplanting you may use a fertilizer like DAP, place a few granules in the hole, Cover with some soil, then plant your seedling.

Of you can use farm yard manure, you apply 2hand fulls in each hole, mix it with soil and transplant.

MANAGEMENT

◼ Fertilization; Tomatoes are heavy feeders of plant nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The plant responds well to organic fertilizers too.
After 1 month from planting, you have to start applying folliar fertilizers like Vegimax to boost the growth of the crop.

◼ Weed control ; these can be controlled chemically or mechanically. Alternatively hand hoes can be used to shallowly plough off the weeds.

Avoid using herbicides when the plants are already in the field.

◼ Pruning; this practice influences the flowering and fruiting of tomato plants. Prune plants by pinching off lateral branches as they appear in the leaf axils.

The more you reduce excess leaves and branches, the more space you leave for the plant to use nutrients for fruit development.

◼ Mulching

Mulch newly planted tomatoes inorder to retain moisture in the soil and avoid weeds from growing.

A heavy mulch is very good for our tomatoe plants.

You can use dry grass, saw dust, coffee husks and many others

◼ Pest control

You have to control the insects and diseases that normally attached k the tomatoes.

Normally tomatoes are affected by insects and Fungal infections.

�Here you need to start applying an Insecticide (Dudu Acelamactine/Cyperscope) and a Fungicide (Mancozeb/Indofil) at once. Then spray every week starting from 1month till flowering.

It’s good to seek advice from a plant doctor before buying any chemical to spray.

◼ Stalking

After the tomatoes have grown, the stems become vulnerable and weak hence need support.

You can use strings tied upwards or you can tie logs of trees on each plant.

This is more effective on high yielding tomatoes since they take long

◼ Irrigation/watering

After planting your tomatoes, you must water them if it’s off season or in times of no rain.

You have to water evening or morning

HARVESTING

After transplanting, you can start harvesting at 2 and half months.

For hybrid high value varieties, you can harvest for the next 6 months.

Harvest your tomatoes before they get to fully ripen.

It’s advisable to leave some inches of a stalk on the fruit as you harvest, this will keep it fresh for sometime.

�Pre-harvest interval for tomatoes if 2weeks, after spraying with pestcides, you have to wait for 2weeks to harvest.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/10/18/grow-tomatoes-business-guide/

bossvic:
Not bad. Do you have information on plantain farming?

Yes please, read more here: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/08/19/plantain-farming-basics-all-you-need-to-know-to-kickoff/

olusegunadex:
Worthy of the first page... Thanks for the information Naija Farmers.

cc: lalasticlala, farmtech

Thank you for the information

Are you a farmer and have ever wondered or said to yourself, “is cassava farming profitable”? Or what are the necessary steps to kick off cassava farming in Nigeria? These are very important questions to consider when venturing into commercial cashew farming, as you will need to ensure that you are not just taking a guess, you are indeed ready for what it is to come.

We need not scare you further, cassava farming is indeed a great money spinner, due to the increased demand for cassava products in Nigeria today. Produce from cassava has helped the nation in feeding millions of Nigerians on a daily basis, while also generating revenue for farmers and even the nation’s economy.

While many would have loved to venture into this agricultural practice, lack of adequate funding had hindered many farmers from kicking off, but you research more information on how to get agricultural loans in Nigeria on Naija Farmers.

If you are looking for a viable agricultural business, which is sure to help you get your harvests sold out, be sure to consider cassava farming as it is a great farming business you may want to engage in.

It has served as a means of livelihood and food to Nigerians for many years and its demands grows as the population of the country grows. Cassava farming has proven to be one of the most profitable agribusinesses in Nigeria with the daily increase in the use of cassava products. Some cassava products include garri, tapioca, fufu, wheat flour, animal feed, commercial caramel, abacha and so on.

To start a commercial cassava farming business, here is an outline of 7 important things to do to ensure good yields

* Locate and select the best site you can for your cassava farm
It is important to carefully consider the location of cassava farm. There are some conditions necessary for cassava to thrive properly and yield optimally, you need to pick a farm land is predominantly loamy in nature.
* Actively innovate around ways to improve the soil for planting
* Select the variety of cassava you would love to plant
* Acquire very healthy cassava stem cuttings
* Plant: Before you plant your cassava crop products, you need to consider the land tillage method, the time of the year, the seed bed type, and the method of preparation, handling, and planting of the cassava stem cuttings.
* Set up and production cost estimates
* Market your produce.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/11/14/commercial-cassava-farming-business/

Would you love to add one or two things, feel free to do so in the comments section please... Let's learn from you.

When you think about poultry, you should think about meat and eggs. Poultry farming has proven to be a very lucrative business. It involves raising various types of domestic birds commercially for the purpose of meats and egg production. Poultry in Africa includes chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, geese, ducks, quail and pigeons farming.

Poultry farming is lucrative and creates employment opportunities and high return of investments. In Namibia, the broiler industry contributed 0.71% to its overall Gross Domestic Product in 2017 according to an economic impact assessment commissioned by the local poultry association. The Namibian boiler poultry industry has great potential in creating jobs, food security, and industrialization.

The Nigerian poultry industry is estimated at $800 million and is comprised of approximately 145 million birds. Nigeria presently produces above 550,000 metric tonnes of poultry meat and 700,000 metric tonnes of eggs per annum. It is the largest producer of eggs in Africa.

Also, the poultry industry is the largest segment of the South African agricultural sector, contributing more than 16% of the GDP. It provides employment, directly and indirectly throughout its value chain. Uganda also offers opportunities for poultry farmers. It offers great opportunities for poultry farmers around the world to invest.

Before you start a poultry farm, take out time to learn about the business. A successful poultry farm is as a result of commitment and time invested in rearing the birds.

Before you Start a Poultry Farm
Feasibility Study
This will help you know if the business is viable on all fronts including the business viability, technical viability, operational viability, etc. the feasibility study includes the introduction, product, technology, market environment, industry, financial projections, risks factors, and regulations.

Business Plan
Determine the location. The size of land depends on the number of birds you want to raise. It is not advisable to acquire land in major cities, it’s better to purchase land in a rural area. Get land in non-residential areas because of the foul odor from bird excreta. Also, keep in mind the availability of water supply, nearest to market and logistics cost.
Determine the kind of breed you wish to farm for commercial poultry. Broilers grow very fast and are used for commercial meat production. Layers produce more eggs for commercial purposes. Cockerels are another type of meat productive poultry breeds. They grow slower than other breeds and can adapt to almost all types of environment.
Make plans pertaining to the production type (determine whether the farm is for egg or meat)
Decide whether to produce for commercial or personal purpose. Commercial farming requires the hiring of labor.

Housing facilities (free-range, furnished cage, battery cage, yarding). You also need to determine what is needed for the setup.

Customers logistics system to use, to determine whether you will need an extra hand to transport your feeds, produce or not.

Decide the people you produce for and make contacts with traders/consumers.

Feeding Plan
Choose the right feeding plan for the birds to be healthy and highly productive. Always provide an adequate amount of food according to the number and age of poultry bird. Supply sufficient amount of water and vitamins too.

Health Management
Make adequate plans for constant cleaning of the housing facilities. Birds are very sensitive and may suffer from viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases. Proper vaccination is required to keep birds disease free, healthy and productive. A vet doctor should vaccinate the birds frequently.

Test run
After conducting a feasibility study and writing down your business plan, start by farming a small number of birds).

With 45% of the world’s unused agricultural land in sub-Saharan Africa, there is great potential for the poultry industry to grow. South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, Senegal, Angola, Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia are currently growing markets on the continent, all with expected year-on-year growth in the range of 6 to 10 percent between 2015 and 2025.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2019/05/07/poultry-farming-business-setup-in-africa/

bossvic:
How much will setting up a pig farm cost me?

cc: lalasticlala

Depends on so many factors, like the size of your land, how many piglets you’re looking to acquire, your budget on feeds and many more. Ensure to do a proper feasibility study before embarking on pig farming...

We hope you enjoyed reading �

Pig farming can fetch you a fortune within a very short while! Thinking of what agribusiness you could venture into? Need tips and heads up on the best practices? Look no further, this article is for you. We have outlined several advantages and essential pro tips for you to get started without hiccups.

Let’s head into Pig farming and all you need to know to start a successful pig farm in Nigeria.

Pigs are known to reproduce quickly and in great numbers. One pig can reproduce roughly fifteen piglets at a time, thus making them the world’s top reproductive livestock. Pig meat, called pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world and the demand for it continues to grow daily. These factors and more has made pig farming, also called piggery, one of the most lucrative livestock production businesses in Nigeria.

What is pig farming?

Pig farming, a branch of animal husbandry, is the process of breeding and raising domestic pigs for personal or commercial purposes in a piggery. It entails the rearing of pigs for production of food or leather.

1) Food production

pork and other pig-related products such as bacon, gammon etc. This excessive consumption and demand for pig products makes it more than a lucrative farm business to venture into.

2) Leather production

Pig skin, though sensitive, can be used in the manufacturing of great leather products such as American footballs, boots, furniture, shoes, belts, gloves, saddle seats, and many more items. With its business opportunities spanning into the leather industry, your ability to diversify your pig farming income from just food production to leather production can lead to an increased return on your investment.

Benefits of pig farming.

1). The pig reproduction rate is very high.

2). Pigs have high market value.

3). Excessive global demand than supply.

4). Pigs have low mortality rate.

5). Cheaper to raise than many other farm anihumans

6). They have a strong immune system.

7). They sell at great prices.

. Pigs grow very fast.

How to start up a pig farm.

1. Secure a location.

Land is the biggest investment in this business. The size of your farmland depends on the amount of pigs you start with and how big you want your business to become. Bear in mind that pigs reproduce in large numbers. It is also important to pick a non-residential area. Since the pig business could ooze off unpleasant odours in the neighbourhood, choosing a farmland that is slightly rural but close to the city is important.

The proximity of the farmland to the city will ensure it is easy to transport the pigs to the market. For people who would prefer to visit your farmland for a purchase, having a farm close to the city makes it a lot easier for them.

Picking the right site is a decision that is crucial to the success of your pig farm.

2. Build standard pens.

The pig pen must be built to protect them from the rain, predators, and to keep them warm or cool during odd temperatures. Due to the high sensitivity of pigs to oddly warm environments, it is important that the temperature of their pens are always regulated. Their houses can be cooled by using a wallow or a dripping water system.

The pig pens should also be built to be spacious enough to enable a free roam among the pigs. This would not just help prevent pig violence, but would also reduce the chances of a disease breakout affecting all the pigs.

The drainage in the pens should also be well constructed, so as to allow a free flow of water. Asides the drainage, small pig pools should be constructed because pigs like to play a lot in water and also use it as a way to cool off. This water should be changed daily at the same time the pens are cleaned, so that pests and diseases do not become a misfortune that befalls your pig farm.

3. Buy healthy piglets to raise.

This is an important aspect of your pig farm. You could purchase adult pigs with the aim of getting them to reproduce or purchase piglets and rear them to maturity. When sourcing for pigs, approach a reliable pig farm and select healthy animals. Remember to ask for their vaccination history. It is also advisable to employ the services of a veterinary doctor.

4. Feed the pigs.

This singular factor determines the growth rate of your pigs. Pigs eat anything but are big eaters, they always eat as long as there is food. When there is no food, they turn on their piglets or roam about and destroy things. So always make sure there is food. Just like human beings, Pigs eat a wide variety of foods, anything humans can eat, they can also eat. Like human beings as well, they need balanced diet such as fibre, energy, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to thrive. Feed will take the major chunk of your spending in the farm.

5. Carry out periodic sanitation.

The pig pens should undergo a periodic sanitation. Various methodologies have to be employed to ensure that the pig pens are well cleaned and taken care of to prevent an out-break of diseases.You can make the waste collection process easier by using slotted pen floors. This together with ensuring the pen floors are always dry is important for a disease-free environment to thrive.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/11/04/start-pig-farming-nigeria/

Zaffiro, come advertise your agro produce on naijafarmers. Write to us at ads@naijafarmers.com

I hope this comes in handy for every one wishing to apply for the bank of industry loan this 2019.

The bank of industry is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, with a primary objective to provide financial aids for the establishment of large, medium and small projects. This body also helps businesses in the expansion, diversification, and modernization of other existing enterprises. (Wiki)

The Bank of Industry is targeted at financing plants and equipment, in a bid to promote the industrial sector of the economy, but does not actively involve itself with financing raw materials, lands and buildings.

Not so long ago, BOI launched an N11 billion empowerment program, tagged “The 0% Entrepreneurship Fund”, for unemployed Nigerian youths, to help promote entrepreneurship among youths, while creating a favorable environment for them to start their own businesses through easily serviced loans.

Criteria and Requirements to access the Bank of Industry Loan

A well written formal letter of application
* A copy of your certificate of business registration or incorporation
* Certified forms C02 and C07
* A copy of your certified true copy of memorandum and articles of association of the company
* 4 copies of your feasibility report
* Organizational structure and management
* Most recent audited accounts of the company if it had been in existence
* Quotations for items or equipment, from different sources
* Completed BOI questionnaire
* Declaration of outstanding liabilities
* Passport photographs
* Tax clearance certificates
* Acceptable Securities shall include a charge/security interest over all of the applicant’s assets, copyrights, rights, etc.

How to apply for Bank of Industry loan online – The Loan Application Portal
The portal was created for prospective SME customers who do not want to physically visit the bank to submit their forms. It also has the advantage of shortening the loan processing Turn-Around-Time (TAT) of the Bank. The portal has document uploading capability as well as allows the loan applicant select the preferred BOI State Office location where the application will be processed.

The loan application form can be accessed from www.boi.ng/apply

Steps on how to use the portal:
* Launch the website on your browser
* Click on the “Apply for loan now” call to action
* Fill in the form and hit the “Register here” button
* Check your email address for verification link and tracking code, and click to validate your account
* Once logged in, you can complete the form

A mail will be sent to you on successful application.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2019/02/17/bank-of-industry-loan-2019-how-to-apply-online/

www.naijafarmers.com

Nigeria's best agro influencing blog.

mistercardinal:
Good one OP... How do I contact you for farm set up?

Hi, feel free to reach out to us via info@naijafarmers.com, and we'll be glad to let you know the necessary steps to set-up and start earning big while practicing.

jordyspices:
Following were ar d pixtures

Pictures are on the website, not so easy to put pictures within texts on Nairaland.

See pictures on how to set up a snail housing here

jimab4u:
Please how do I contact you for a farm set up

Kindly send us a mail via info@naijafarmers.com

You all should come and advertise your agro produce on Naija Farmers! Huge discounts till the end of November. Send a mail to info@naijafarmers.com if you are interested.

Snaileries are structures or places where edible snails are kept, bred and fattened for commercial purposes. Several people in the world consume them as a delicacy, and can be a very lucrative source of income. Want to know all about snail farming? Read the full snail farming guide here.

Snaileries are also called snail pen, snail housing, snail habitat or snail structure. When starting a snail farming business, it is very important for you to put your snail housing into consideration – the type, size and dimension, which is hugely dependent on your preferred snail growing system and the quantity of snails you intend to produce.

Amongst the list of factors to consider are the age of the snails, temperature, location, weather and climatic factors, vunerability to flooding and many more.

Types of Snail Housing Systems

The management is largely dependent on the financial input of the business owner, and the preferred housing system could be grouped into three classifications – intensive, mixed (or semi-intensive), or extensive.

Intensive Snail Housing System:

Involves trying to recreate the natural habitat of snails, by creating greenhouses, free-range snail pens or buildings with controlled climatic conditions. This is characteristic of farmers who rear snails in large quantity and for commercial purposes.

Mixed or Semi-intensive Snail Housing System:
Here, egg laying and hatching also occurs in controlled environments, then young snails are removed after 6-8 weeks to the surrounding, for further development and growth.

Extensive snail housing system:
Practiced mostly by small scale farmers and subsistence farmers. Farmers practice snail farming using car tyres, baskets, old tanks or anything readily available to them.

Some of the materials needed to construct good snail pens include concrete blocks or bricks, polythene sheets, galvanized sheets, Mosquito nets or nylon mesh, and chicken wire.

Decay and termite resistant timber play important role in the construction of snail housing. In West Africa, favourable tree species that produce such timber include opepe, iroko, and mahogany. Disposable materials like car tyres, baskets, oil drums, and old water tanks are also good materials.

Materials Needed for Constructing Different Snail Pens
Depending on price and availability, the following materials can be used as snail housing materials; Concrete blocks or bricks, polythene sheets, galvanized sheets, Mosquito nets or nylon mesh, and chicken wire.

Decay and termite resistant timber play important role in the construction of snail housing. In West Africa, favourable tree species that produce such timber include opepe, iroko, and mahogany. Disposable materials like car tyres, baskets, oil drums, and old water tanks are also good materials.

How to Construct Different Snail Houses (according to Agro4africa)

1. Using Baskets

For raising hatchlings of less than 3 months age for incubation of eggs, basket housings can be quite useful. Major limitation – poor durability.

How to make a snail housing using baskets:
Get a good locally made/ woven basket and lay sack beneath to hold soil.
Fill the basket with soil (humus or loamy) to a depth of 15-20cm.
Put dry leaves on the soil for mulching.
Cover the basket with a lid, or chicken wire mesh placed between two mosquito nets and fastened with a wooden frame, to provide protection against insects.

2. Hutch Box (Wooden Snail Cage)

In a hutch box, eggs and young snails can be easily located, as they are very suitable as hatchery for nursery and pens. It involves using a square or rectangular, single, or multi-chamber wooden boxes with lids, placed on wooden stands.

How to create one
The dimension should be about 100cm x 100cm x 50cm with a stand of 35cm.
The box will have cubical wooden frame.
The base of the box should be built of hard wood and perforated to allow free drainage of excess water.
After constructing the box, sieve humus or loamy soil into it to a depth of 20 – 25cm.
Cover the box with a lid made of chicken wire mesh reinforced with mosquito nets. The lid should be fitted with a padlock to discourage poachers from stealing your snails.
The stands of the cage which is 35cm high should be placed inside a container or bowl filled with water plus kerosene, used engine oil or any other disinfectants.
This is done so as to prevent insects from crawling up the box to attack the snails,snail housing/ hutch box
The soil in the hutch box must be changed occasionally because, an accumulation of droppings and slime will increase the chances of disease development.
A box of 1sqr.m can be used to rear 4 – 6 mature snails.
Pro – It can be constructed close to the farmer’s house to enable easy accessibility and supervision. The height helps greatly in facilitating feeding and handling of the snails.
Con – Relatively expensive to construct, comes in limited sizes, which restrict the number of snails that can be kept in them per time.

3. Construction of Snail House Using Old Tyres
Very cost effective and readily available in both rural and urban areas. Involves sourcing for tyres from mechanics or vulcanizer, while using them as farming structures in your home.

Due to the poor ventilation characteristics of tyres, perforating the tyres will help promote aeration in the sector.

To constructs snail housing using old tyres;
Select an appropriate site under a shade.
Stack 3 – 4 tyres upon one another as shown in the image above.After stacking, fill the tyres with suitable loamy soil to a depth of 10 – 15cm.
Cover the tyres with chicken wire and mosquito mesh, placed between the topmost tyre and the second one from the top for protection.
Car tyres can hold up to 3 – 6 snails, depending on their sizes. Tyres of larger diameters can hold between 5 – 10 mature snails.

4. Drums/Old Tanks used for Construction of Snail Pen
Got old oil drums and tanks around you, you could put them to use instead of discarding them. They are good for small-scale production of snails, especially for subsistence purposes.

To construct snail housing using oil drums or old tanks;
Perforate.
Lay sack on the bottom of the tank to hold the soil and then fill with humus or loamy soil to a depth of 10-15cm.
Place dry leaves on the soil layer as mulching.
Cover the box with a lid made of chicken wire mesh reinforced with mosquito nets.
The tank could be placed on a stand if available.

5. Trench Pen Snail House
Trench pen is a type of snail habitat that is built in a shallow pit. To construct trench pens,

Select an appropriate site and peg out the position of your pen.
The trench is either dug into the ground or raised 40 – 50cm above ground level using cement blocks.
Ensure that the trench is well drained to prevent water-logging
Fill the trench with good loamy soil to a depth of 10 – 15cm.
Concrete can be leveled on the floor of the trench before topping with the soil.
Construct feeding and water trough to a height 5 –7cm above the soil level.
After that, cover the pen properly with a well fitted framework of chicken wire plus mosquito net.
Trench pens have the advantage of being flexible, especially when sorting snails according to their sizes and phase in the growing cycle. The snails are always easy to locate, for handling, feeding, selection and final sale or consumption.
On the contrary, trench pens have the disadvantage of being expensive to construct (especially the raised trench pen). Secondly, the farmer may end up having back ache because of long stooping or kneeling due to the low height of the trench.
6. Free-range Snail Farming System
Free-range snail farming is a type of snail farming structure in which snails are allowed to roam freely and feed on open pastures of living food crops, rather than being densely confined in small enclosures and fed only compound foods.

The freedom to roam in large areas allows the snails to avoid each other’s slime trails. Over-slimed ground and excess faeces can change snail behaviour by putting out chemical signals like *pheromones which are detrimental to reproduction and growth rates in snails.

* A pheromone is a chemical an animal produces which changes the behavior of another animal of the same specie.

Allowing snails to breed at their own pace and encouraging the natural biological cycle in an ecological farming system, results in better breeding performance, faster rate of growth, higher reproduction yields and it meets the highest standards of quality and sustainable accountability.

The free-range snail housing system however, has its own disadvantages.

* It requires more land than other types of snail farming.
* It is difficult to locate and protect eggs and small snails.
* A fully enclosed and roofed pen is relatively expensive to build.
* In the open type of free-range pen, it is more difficult to keep out predators and poachers.
* It may be difficult to control disease outbreak because of the farm size.
* If you have questions or suggestions, please use the comment box below.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/08/28/how-to-create-snail-housing-in-simple-steps-what-you-should-know-about-snaileries/

Enjoy reading!

The Kalahari Red goats are amongst the most craved goat breeds in Africa. Bred for meat purposes, they are distinctive and genetically special goat breeds originating from South Africa, like other high quality breeds such as the Savana and Boer.

The name emanated from their red coat and the Kalahari desert, which spans the border of Botswana, South Africa and Namibia.

This goat breed is getting more recognition, and many populations of the Kalahari red goats are being adopted in Nigeria and in many nations, including Australia, Brazil and the United States, due to its unique qualities, including the tenderness of its meat, the camouflage, the hardiness and more.

Here are some of the top reasons why the Kalahari Red goats are being reared, and are considered as important in Nigeria – their characteristics;

Appearances
They have long, floppy ears, loose skin in their neck area and moderately-sized, sloping horns above their ears. Their skin is fully pigmented, which allow them to forage and increase weight gains through the heat of the day. The does have full and properly attached udders and teats (Roysfarm). Their earthy colour makes them less visible to predators (Embryoplus)

Kalahari Goat Meat Nutritious Values
The meat is so nutritious with a nice texture. It contains a higher percentage of iron than its rivals.

The percentage of protein it possesses matches that of the beef, while also containing the least percentage of fat and saturated fat, when compared to other animals reared for meat purposes.

Raising Kalahari Red goats
Raising these goats can be less stressful. These goats are truly African in nature, due to their survival instincts and readiness to adapt to any condition and habitats. They display wide-grazing capabilities, and can feed on various types of plants, grass and grains, when compared to sheep. They are good protectors of their offsprings, and they are resistant to various internal and external inflicting parasites.

Kalahari Red Goat Farming in Nigeria
These breeds are readily available by varieties of goat suppliers in Nigeria. If you are one, let us know in the comments section. Interested in goat farming? Click here to read on how to start goat farming in Nigeria.

Why you should consider rearing them
The goat meats are usually in high demand in specific areas of the country, and they grow relatively fast. This goat breed is very suitable for commercial goat farming business.

More Economic Values
Skin from the Kalahari Red provides the best leather material for the tannery industries. This, if properly harnessed for international trade, has a great potential as a foreign exchange earner and can put Nigeria in an enviable position in the global leather industry.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/09/22/kalahari-red-goats-farming-nigeria/

Kindly share Feedbacks all! Would love to see what methods you are employing in practising heliculture

Cc: lalasticlala, farmtech

Pictures

Snaileries are structures or places where edible snails are kept, bred and fattened for commercial purposes. Several people in the world consume them as a delicacy, and can be a very lucrative source of income. Want to know all about snail farming? Read the full snail farming guide here.

Snaileries are also called snail pen, snail housing, snail habitat or snail structure. When starting a snail farming business, it is very important for you to put your snail housing into consideration – the type, size and dimension, which is hugely dependent on your preferred snail growing system and the quantity of snails you intend to produce.

Amongst the list of factors to consider are the age of the snails, temperature, location, weather and climatic factors, vunerability to flooding and many more.

Types of Snail Housing Systems
The management is largely dependent on the financial input of the business owner, and the preferred housing system could be grouped into three classifications – intensive, mixed (or semi-intensive), or extensive.

Intensive Snail Housing System:

Photo Credit: Big-snail.com
Involves trying to recreate the natural habitat of snails, by creating greenhouses, free-range snail pens or buildings with controlled climatic conditions. This is characteristic of farmers who rear snails in large quantity and for commercial purposes.

Mixed or Semi-intensive Snail Housing System:
Here, egg laying and hatching also occurs in controlled environments, then young snails are removed after 6-8 weeks to the surrounding, for further development and growth.

Extensive snail housing system:
Practiced mostly by small scale farmers and subsistence farmers. Farmers practice snail farming using car tyres, baskets, old tanks or anything readily available to them.

Some of the materials needed to construct good snail pens include concrete blocks or bricks, polythene sheets, galvanized sheets, Mosquito nets or nylon mesh, and chicken wire.


Photo Credit: steemit.com
Decay and termite resistant timber play important role in the construction of snail housing. In West Africa, favourable tree species that produce such timber include opepe, iroko, and mahogany. Disposable materials like car tyres, baskets, oil drums, and old water tanks are also good materials.

Materials Needed for Constructing Different Snail Pens
Depending on price and availability, the following materials can be used as snail housing materials; Concrete blocks or bricks, polythene sheets, galvanized sheets, Mosquito nets or nylon mesh, and chicken wire.

Decay and termite resistant timber play important role in the construction of snail housing. In West Africa, favourable tree species that produce such timber include opepe, iroko, and mahogany. Disposable materials like car tyres, baskets, oil drums, and old water tanks are also good materials.

How to Construct Different Snail Houses (according to Naija Farmers )

1. Using Baskets
For raising hatchlings of less than 3 months age for incubation of eggs, basket housings can be quite useful. Major limitation – poor durability.

How to make a snail housing using baskets:
Get a good locally made/ woven basket and lay sack beneath to hold soil.
Fill the basket with soil (humus or loamy) to a depth of 15-20cm.
Put dry leaves on the soil for mulching.
Cover the basket with a lid, or chicken wire mesh placed between two mosquito nets and fastened with a wooden frame, to provide protection against insects.

2. Hutch Box (Wooden Snail Cage)
In a hutch box, eggs and young snails can be easily located, as they are very suitable as hatchery for nursery and pens. It involves using a square or rectangular, single, or multi-chamber wooden boxes with lids, placed on wooden stands.

How to create one
The dimension should be about 100cm x 100cm x 50cm with a stand of 35cm.
The box will have cubical wooden frame.
The base of the box should be built of hard wood and perforated to allow free drainage of excess water.
After constructing the box, sieve humus or loamy soil into it to a depth of 20 – 25cm.
Cover the box with a lid made of chicken wire mesh reinforced with mosquito nets. The lid should be fitted with a padlock to discourage poachers from stealing your snails.
The stands of the cage which is 35cm high should be placed inside a container or bowl filled with water plus kerosene, used engine oil or any other disinfectants.
This is done so as to prevent insects from crawling up the box to attack the snails,snail housing/ hutch box
The soil in the hutch box must be changed occasionally because, an accumulation of droppings and slime will increase the chances of disease development.
A box of 1sqr.m can be used to rear 4 – 6 mature snails.
Pro – It can be constructed close to the farmer’s house to enable easy accessibility and supervision. The height helps greatly in facilitating feeding and handling of the snails.
Con – Relatively expensive to construct, comes in limited sizes, which restrict the number of snails that can be kept in them per time.

3. Construction of Snail House Using Old Tyres
Very cost effective and readily available in both rural and urban areas. Involves sourcing for tyres from mechanics or vulcanizer, while using them as farming structures in your home.

Due to the poor ventilation characteristics of tyres, perforating the tyres will help promote aeration in the sector.

To constructs snail housing using old tyres;
Select an appropriate site under a shade.
Stack 3 – 4 tyres upon one another as shown in the image above.After stacking, fill the tyres with suitable loamy soil to a depth of 10 – 15cm.
Cover the tyres with chicken wire and mosquito mesh, placed between the topmost tyre and the second one from the top for protection.
Car tyres can hold up to 3 – 6 snails, depending on their sizes. Tyres of larger diameters can hold between 5 – 10 mature snails.

4. Drums/Old Tanks used for Construction of Snail Pen
Got old oil drums and tanks around you, you could put them to use instead of discarding them. They are good for small-scale production of snails, especially for subsistence purposes.

To construct snail housing using oil drums or old tanks;
Perforate.
Lay sack on the bottom of the tank to hold the soil and then fill with humus or loamy soil to a depth of 10-15cm.
Place dry leaves on the soil layer as mulching.
Cover the box with a lid made of chicken wire mesh reinforced with mosquito nets.
The tank could be placed on a stand if available.

5. Trench Pen Snail House
Trench pen is a type of snail habitat that is built in a shallow pit. To construct trench pens,

Select an appropriate site and peg out the position of your pen.
The trench is either dug into the ground or raised 40 – 50cm above ground level using cement blocks.
Ensure that the trench is well drained to prevent water-logging
Fill the trench with good loamy soil to a depth of 10 – 15cm.
Concrete can be leveled on the floor of the trench before topping with the soil.
Construct feeding and water trough to a height 5 –7cm above the soil level.
After that, cover the pen properly with a well fitted framework of chicken wire plus mosquito net.
Trench pens have the advantage of being flexible, especially when sorting snails according to their sizes and phase in the growing cycle. The snails are always easy to locate, for handling, feeding, selection and final sale or consumption.
On the contrary, trench pens have the disadvantage of being expensive to construct (especially the raised trench pen). Secondly, the farmer may end up having back ache because of long stooping or kneeling due to the low height of the trench.
6. Free-range Snail Farming System
Free-range snail farming is a type of snail farming structure in which snails are allowed to roam freely and feed on open pastures of living food crops, rather than being densely confined in small enclosures and fed only compound foods.

The freedom to roam in large areas allows the snails to avoid each other’s slime trails. Over-slimed ground and excess faeces can change snail behaviour by putting out chemical signals like *pheromones which are detrimental to reproduction and growth rates in snails.

* A pheromone is a chemical an animal produces which changes the behavior of another animal of the same specie.

Allowing snails to breed at their own pace and encouraging the natural biological cycle in an ecological farming system, results in better breeding performance, faster rate of growth, higher reproduction yields and it meets the highest standards of quality and sustainable accountability.

The free-range snail housing system however, has its own disadvantages.

It requires more land than other types of snail farming.
It is difficult to locate and protect eggs and small snails.
A fully enclosed and roofed pen is relatively expensive to build.
In the open type of free-range pen, it is more difficult to keep out predators and poachers.
It may be difficult to control disease outbreak because of the farm size.
If you have questions or suggestions, please use the comment box below.

Source: https://naijafarmers.com/2018/08/28/how-to-create-snail-housing-in-simple-steps-what-you-should-know-about-snaileries/

olusegunadex:
Lovely piece... I need links as to where to get some goats o! Do you have suppliers?

Quite a number of sellers here on Nairaland, I'm sure they'd hit you up as soon as they see this!

Nwaikuku2:
Unleash all if u want this thread in fp

Unleashed like it's hot!

Goats are domesticated ruminant animals, with backward-curving horns, reared in several parts of the world with little or no special skills required.

A profitable and rewarding business, goats are kept for several purposes, including meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter or leather. Anything cow milk can do, goat milk also can.

Not only does the meat taste unique and great, it contains lower amount of fat compared to chicken and higher protein than beef. This is one amongst many reasons, why it is very lucrative and in high demand.

BREEDS
There are several varieties of goats. Amongst the popular in Nigeria include Sokoto Red, Bornu Red, West African long-legged goat, West African Dwarf (WAD) goat, Kano Brown, Bauchi time, Kalahari Red (originally imported from South Africa by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).

WHAT BREED SHOULD YOU OPT IN FOR?
“Rearing goats is largely dependent on your capital”, said Dr Suleiman M Yashim, an expert in Feed Resources and Ruminant Nutrition, at the Department of Animal Science (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria).



He went further to say,

“If you are in the north, from Abuja upwards there are good breeds that do well like the Red Sokoto breed and the Sahelian/ Desert breed that can do well in Borno, Sokoto and Katsina states.

“While for the southern part of the country, especially the rain forest areas, there’s the West African dwarf goat that does very well there and weighs between 20kg and 25kg,” he said.

On the number of goats needed to start goat farming, the expert said, “for a household that wants to start small, you require two females and one male goat (buck), but if you’re in an environment where people have bucks, and you don’t intend to confine your own, then you don’t need to buy a male goat.”

For raise-and-sell farmers, you could raise only male goats because breeding is not in focus.

FEEDING:
Goats feed on virtually everything, hence making their feeding relatively cheap. They majorly feed on green grass, but for better growth and fattening, you may consider formulated feeds. Tuber and root peels could also be used due to the herbivorous nature of the animals.
So, you may consider adding grasses, cassava peels, banana peels, sweet potato peels, grains, groundnut haulms, soya beans haulms and more.
You could crush the haulms and mix with offal and others to feed the animals as supplements. Adding salt to the mixture will make available sodium and chlorine as nutrients, while bone meal will supply calcium and phosphorus.

GESTATION PERIOD IN GOATS
Gestation in goats lasts from 145 to 150 days. Goats attain market size (full maturity), between eight months and twelve months. However, this could take upto 18 months if they are not properly fed. Veterinary treatment is needed to control infertility and stunting. This could occur due to drinking water contaminated with salmonella.

DISEASES
Goats also have a lot of diseases which can spread easily and can kill the animals. Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, ketosis, anemia, anorexia, arthritis, anthrax, bronchitis and coccidiosis do affect goats. The feed should be checked regularly. If the feed is contaminated, the animals could come down with diarrhea. Some of the symptoms of pneumonia include mucus discharge from their noses and eyes, fever, anorexia, inflammation of the nasal and buccal cavities and respiratory difficulty.

Proper health care and sanitation, in addition to good management, must not be overlooked if any goat farmer wants to excel in the business. Like Suleiman pointed out, it is better to start small and expand as one gets more experience in the business to avoid unnecessary losses.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) – GOAT FARMING
A goat’s worth is usually according to its weight. In the abattoir, a goat is weighed and the price is based on the weight of the goat or the size depending on the buyer.
Goat farming is a good agricultural business because apart from housing, cost of stocking is less capital intensive than cattle, and can bring good returns on investments with full understanding of the market. A full market size goat can be sold from N20,000 and above.

Hope you enjoyed reading! Say something in the comments section and please share!

Source >>https://naijafarmers.com/2018/08/16/goat-farming-in-nigeria-how-to-start-and-earning-big/

Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2010 ‘Instrument of Accession to the International Cocoa Agreement’, disclosed Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement.

He said the signing was a sequel to the Federal Executive Council’s approval for Nigeria to accede the agreement

“Following the execution of the instrument of accession, Nigeria undertakes “faithfully to abide by all the stipulations therein contained” in the Agreement.”

Amongst other benefits, he highlighted that the agreement is expected to strengthen cooperation between exporting and importing member countries; improve their cocoa economies throgugh active and better-focused project development and strategies for capacity building.

He went on to further say that the 2010 cocoa Agreement is also expected to build on the successes of the 2001 Agreement by “implementing measures leading to an increase in the income of cocoa farmers and by supporting cocoa producers in improving the functioning of their cocoa economies”.

He concluded by saying that “It will also “deliver cocoa of better quality, take effective account of food-safety issues and help establish social, economic and environmental sustainability, so that farmers are rewarded for producing cocoa that meets ethical and environmental considerations”.

Source: Naija Farmers