Farming tomatoes in Nigeria is profitable. This can be seen by the fact that people grow and sell them around the country despite their being a heaps of other crops to choose from like cassava, pepper, onion etc.
I hope that answers your question and you have the best of luck in starting a tomato business in Nigeria!
How profitable is tomato farming in Nigeria
Tomato farming in Nigeria is a profitable venture when done with the right techniques, but it can be tricky. There are five main factors that determine profitability for tomato farmers: soil type, climate, market demand, labor and capital.
In addition to these factors to take into account before starting out as a tomato farmer there are other business considerations such as access to inputs like seeds and fertilizers or hiring of labor which also play an important role on how profitable your farm will be.
How profitable is tomato farming in Nigeria?
The answer all depends on what you do with your tomatoes! If you have the right technique for growing them then this endeavor can be very lucrative indeed–assuming you know where to sell them at a fair price! Here’s a quick guide to help you decide whether growing tomatoes in Nigeria is worth your effort.
How profitable is tomato farming in Nigeria?
It truly depends on the five factors I mentioned above–which are very interrelated and have significant crossover with other economic activities.
The profitability of this venture also depends on what you do with your crop once you have harvested it, as I will point out later.
Please note that this is a guide rather than an absolute answer based on my experience with tomato farming in Nigeria get the most profit out of growing tomatoes in Nigeria, you need to employ sustainable practices; for example: if your soil is slightly lacking then supplement your soil one way is to grow green manure where you cut off and chop up cover crops like cowpea and fonio or turn under your clover in the fall.
Using these techniques will ensure stronger, healthier tomato plants which are more resistant to pests, diseases, and drought; all of which will positively impact yield. This means that using sustainable practices can help to reduce the need for costly inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
Economic analysis:
The first thing to consider when you are growing tomatoes in Nigeria is what market you will sell them in. If you plan to sell them locally at your roadside stand or farm gate then you need to keep in mind that profit margins are much smaller for producing and selling your crop at the local level. If you are selling to a wholesaler or export market then it is much more profitable. The majority of tomato farmers in Nigeria sell their tomatoes locally so I will focus on that option first.
The minimum wage here in Nigeria is ₦30,000 per month, however this amount can vary depending on the state or city you live in. We will assume that a farmer makes this much However, if they are only growing enough crops to feed themselves and their family then this does not apply–they can grow tomatoes however it suits them.
It also depends on how many laborers they hire to work with them; for example if they hire 5 laborers then in theory that is ₦15,000 per month divided by 5. Or if someone is working the farm full-time without hired labor then it comes down to ₦30,000 divided by 12 months.
The average yield of a tomato plant is between 10 and 15 kg depending on the variety you are growing and the inputs you are using. However, yields can vary significantly between 6-60 kg per plant depending on environmental conditions.
If we take an average of 10kg for a tomato plant before it is picked then this means that on average a farmer would get 100kg harvest from their farm–or ₦3,000 at minimum wage.
So to begin with, tomato farming in Nigeria does not look very profitable so far! The next thing to figure out is how much it costs for the farmer to grow 100kg of tomatoes on their farm; this can be broken down into three main categories: Yield per plant Fertilizer Labor We will assume that a farmers cost for fertilizer is ₦1,000 because I hear that many farmers are using good quality organic compost and manure in order to reduce they use.
We will also assume that a farmer buys certified seeds for ₦250 per kg. The cost of labor is more difficult to figure out since it varies depending on how much someone is willing to pay for help. I have heard of farmers paying as little as ₦20,000 per day and up to ₦50,000 or more per day. In my experience, it is usually ₦40,000 per day in order to hire someone who will work with me all day (6am-5pm) to plant, weed, prune, and harvest.
Yield per plant The first cost we will look at is the yield of a tomato crop. There are many factors that can affect the yield of your tomatoes and it is difficult to predict exactly how much you will make until you actually start growing your crop.
However there are some general guidelines that can help you have a better idea of how much your tomatoes will yield. Different varieties of tomato plants will produce different amounts but the general rule is this: bush-like varieties like Tasti-Lee and Roma pay shorter, stockier plants with lower yields per plant .
Tomatoes on the left were grown in my garden using only compost/manure and a liquid seaweed solution while the ones on the right were purchased from a nearby nursery.
There are 4 plants in total but I have only counted two because it was clear that one of them would not produce much fruit, if any at all. ” Beefsteak ” varieties like Big Boy yield taller, more elegant plants with higher yields per plant.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of beefsteak tomatoes on the left and Roma tomatoes on the right. Both plants were grown in my garden using compost/manure and the same liquid seaweed solution. However, I put additional nutrients like potassium and calcium into the soil when I planted the beefsteak tomatoes.
Both of these plants have grown side by side all season long without any treatments or enhancements other than water and fertilizer. Although the beefsteak plant is taller, it is not producing as much fruit because of its more lateral growth pattern .
The conclusion here is that if you want to make money from tomato farming then growing beefsteak tomatoes would be the better option because of their higher yields per plant .
This is great news for farmers in Nigeria because beefsteak varieties do not grow well during our rainy season so it means that we will have to plan all year long in order to get a good harvest you are only planning on growing a small plot of tomatoes then I encourage you to try out both varieties so that you can have a little bit of experience in case you decide that you want to grow beefsteak tomatoes next year.
Fertilizer The second cost we will consider is the cost of fertilizer for your tomato plants. This, unfortunately, is not as simple as saying how much it costs per kg of fertilizer because there are many different kinds of fertilizers that you can use.
I will briefly explain the types of traditional fertilizers used in Nigeria: Compost (made from animal manure and soil) is generally the most popular method for organic gardening but it does have some disadvantages. For example, compost made from cow manure has a very high pH level which can interfere with of your plants’ nutrients.
It is also hard to find animal manure that has not been treated with diseases like worms and salmonella so it is important that you only use compost from a trusted source. Organic vegetable fertilizer (made from minerals) cannot be made without some help from synthetic chemicals because we do not have enough minerals like potassium and calcium in our soil.
However, these fertilizers are much more balanced than compost so they generally do not have as big of an effect on your plants’ pH levels. In the future I will write a detailed article about organic fertilizers like greensand but for now I want to focus on synthetic fertilizer alone.
There are three main kinds of synthetic fertilizer in Nigeria: urea , ammonium nitrate (also known as ‘urea’ or ‘fertilizer’ at local shops) and muriate of potash . You can use each kind to make a mixture that is suitable for tomato farming. Urea alone has the highest nitrogen content but it does not contain any phosphorus. If you use urea by itself then your plants will grow very well but they might experience a growth “bounce” that leads to poor yields in the latter part of their season.
1: Added one cup of each fertilizer along with 10 cups of water and mixed it thoroughly with some earthworms
2: Planted tomato seeds
3: Once the tomato plants were about 3 inches tall then I watered them every day until they started flowering Urea mixed with ammonium nitrate has a balanced amount of nitrogen and phosphorus which allows your plants’ growth to be consistent throughout their growing season.
Using urea and ammonium nitrate together also makes it much easier for you to make sure that your plants get enough nutrients since you can mix larger amounts of fertilizer than you could with urea alone.
However, the ammonium nitrate in urea and urea/ammonium nitrate mixtures has a tendency to burn your plants’ roots so it is important that you only use fertilizers with 25% or less ammonium nitrate content. The final type of synthetic fertilizer that you can use is muriate of potash (a kind of potassium salt). This has a high amount of potassium which will help to naturally balance your plants’ pH levels but it also contains a very small amount of nitrogen and phosphorus so you should only use this as a supplement to another fertilizer.
You will have to experiment with different amounts of urea, ammonium nitrate or muriate of potash in order to find the best mixture for your plants. I prefer using a mix that is about 60% urea and 40% ammonium nitrate but you may want to try out other mixes so that you can see how they affect your plants’ growth.
One thing to remember is that you do not need to mix all of your fertilizer at one time since your plants will not be receiving nutrients for the entire season.I mix about 20-30 kilograms of fertilizer per 15 square meter bed and then I water it in as I plant my seeds so that I will use all of it before the end of the season.
2: Added one cup of each fertilizer along with 10 cups of water and mixed it thoroughly with some earthworms
3: Planted tomato seeds
4: Once the tomato plants were about 3 inches tall then I watered them every day until they started flowering
5: Harvesting ripe tomatoes! If you can get your hands on a tomato plant then you can use its leaves to learn about the amount of nutrients that are in your soil.
The most important thing is for you to look at the first pair of leaves on each stem and count how many leaflets they have (labeled A in Figure 1 below).
If there are 5 or more leaflets then your plants probably have enough nutrients and you. If there are 4 leaflets then your plants might need some nutrients but they should be okay if you fertilize them first one or two fruit production cycles. Plants with 3 leaflets usually have an unbalanced amount of nutrients which means that their soil needs to be supplemented.
Plants with only 2 leaflets are severely deficient in nutrients so you need to give them at least 20 kilograms of fertilizer for every 15 square meters of their soil.
1: Tomato plant leaves are healthy and have 5 leaflets
2: Plant leaves are unhealthy and have only 4 leaflets
3: Plant leaves are unhealthy and have only 3 leaflets
4: Plant leaves are extremely deficient in nutrients with only 2 leaflets It is generally a good idea to use 20 kilograms of fertilizer per 15 square meters.
This can vary depending on your soil’s characteristics but you should only need to supplement your plants’ nutrients during the beginning stages of their growth (when they are young) and not later on since you will be able to tell if your plants’ leaves are lacking in nutrients.
I usually add the fertilizer once every two weeks as long as each time my plants are producing some fruit. However, if your plants are not producing any fruit even after you have been adding fertilizer to their soil then there might be another issue that is causing them to be unable to produce fruit (such as inadequate water or sunlight). If this is the case then you should take a short break from fertilizing your plants and see if they start producing some fruit. I hope that this article has helped you to understand the basics of how to fertilize your soil for growing tomatoes.
Conclusion:
If you’re interested in farming tomatoes, it’s worth exploring the opportunities and challenges of this industry. The profitability is often affected by factors such as weather conditions, government policies, market prices for produce, etc. There are also other considerations like labor costs that may affect profit margins. Contact a local expert to learn more about how tomato farming can be profitable in Nigeria!
Now that you have the information on how to make money from tomato farming in Nigeria, it’s time to take action and make some profit! The first step would be to either buy or rent a land for your growing needs. Then, ensure all conditions are favorable for cultivation by looking into their weather patterns and other vegetation. You can also achieve great success with the help of a local expert. Use our list of resources above to get in touch with one!
How to start tomatoes business in Nigeria
Tomatoes is a very profitable business to start up in Nigeria, tomatoes can be grown by all and tomatoes are not expensive to buy. The tomatoes you grow can either be sold fresh or processed as tomato paste. There are many other options for tomatoes that will give you more profit but the most important thing is that tomatoes need water, sunlight and space for them to grow.
Tomatoes are a very popular vegetable in Nigeria and tomatoes business is booming. Starting tomatoes business in Nigeria can be done by investing as little as you have but I will advise you to start by investing like ₦100,000 (Nigerian Naira). The first step to tomatoes business success is to start with the right tomatoes seedlings. You will need about 5-6months for your tomatoes seedlings to grow into mature plants and be ready for sale or harvest.
How to grow tomatoes:
Tomatoes grow in a sunny spot, tomatoes need water and tomatoes plants need space to grow (space is important when growing tomatoes)
How do I get tomatoes seedlings:
Tomatoes seedling can be bought at any garden store or you can even make your own tomato from an old stem of the plant.
The costs for starting tomatoes business in Nigeria are:
The short answer is, it depends.
There are many factors that will affect how much it costs to start a Tomato business in Nigeria. These include: your startup capital, your location of production and market area for the Nigerian economy. You can research all this information before deciding to buy land, purchase equipment, and plant seeds for your business.
If you’re after more details about any specific question related to starting a tomato business in Nigeria, please feel free post them on our “Ask Your Own Question” page!
1. Startup Capital Requirements for Tomato Business in Nigeria:
When starting a tomato business in Nigeria, you should have at least N100 thousand naira (N) to invest into your venture as start up capital.
This amount of investment will go on buying farming equipment and seedlings, purchasing land for the farm, and the cost of labour to put up a farm.
2. Tomato Farming Business Locations in Nigeria:
If you want to start farming Tomatoes in Nigeria, the best states include Kaduna, Ogun, Kano, Nasarawa etc. Northern Nigerian States are an ideal place for tomato farming because they have low rainfall with high temperatures. The state is also a common producer of cash crops such as cotton and groundnuts which means that they have had exposure to farming equipment and labouring in the past.
Areas that are hillsides are also good for tomato farming because there is more soil moisture which allows tomatoes to be grown continuously throughout the year.
3. Tomato Production & Market Areas in Nigeria:
The short answer to your question is, anywhere you know there exists a market for local tomatoes. However this may be an oversimplification of what you are seeking.
What I mean by that is, if you’ve learned about tomato farming and have decided to venture into the business because it’s something you’re passionate about, you’ll want to build a business that offers real value. To do this the first thing you need is to start with knowing the needs of your target market.
There are different ways to find out what people need in your area or town including: conducting surveys, conducting an analysis on competitors, using social media to ask questions etc.
Once you have a good idea of their needs, you need to provide them solutions to meet these needs and in fact give them something they couldn’t have imagined! You need to stand out from the crowd. However one thing I will urge you not to do is produce tomato for export because this will most likely lead to losses due to transportation costs.
How many months will I use to grow the tomatoes to be marketable?
Answer:
A tomato tree will take about 15 months to grow and become marketable.
It takes about 6 to 8 weeks in a greenhouse with a warm temperature for your seedling to start growing faster and turn into roots. From there, it takes 90-110 days to get the plants outside where they will be met by natural factors such as rain, wind, pests and disease that can help control growth while still giving the plant enough food through photosynthesis. The plant then needs between 7 – 14 more months before yield is at its peak (depending on variety) and harvest begins.
Answer:
I have no idea.
I don’t know the specific climate that you live in, but whatever it is, the climate of your area will make a difference on how long you need to wait for your tomatoes to develop. I suppose it could also come down to personal preference for size of the tomato or how much profit these tomatoes can produce in terms of number sold per year.
Either way, I’ll just say another vegetable altogether in order not to potentially mislead anyone about their own growing process and this specific question because it’s really irrelevant information at this point.
Perhaps one day, after living out my life and retiring from gardening altogether with these lovely memories etched into my heart as an old woman with grandchildren, great-grandchildren and anyone else that I could possibly love, I would have enjoyed harvesting my own tomatoes and making ketchup or just eating them whole as an old woman with yellowing teeth and wrinkled skin.
Tomato season in Nigeria
• Nigeria is the world’s most populous black African country. Nigeria exports less than 1% of its production of green tomatoes to countries in Western Europe and North America, but it imports over 50% from those same regions. The mainstay is tomato paste, which Nigerians consume as a cooker with rice or spaghetti – the spicy sauce that cooks with these dishes makes them generally quite palatable. Nigeria also produces more than 10 million tons of tomatoes per year, making it one of the largest exporters in Africa.”
In short; Nigeria doesn’t really have tomato season.
• Historically, Nigeria has been a major exporter of tomato paste, but as the country’s economy has worsened and investment in food production decreased mightily since 1970 prices have risen dramatically.
The tomato plants naturally start to fruit when they are about six months old if not sooner.
The types of tomatoes that are typically seen in supermarkets in Nigeria include: Golden cherry (these tomatoes have a light red color), Santa Rosa (known for their sweet taste), Beef Steak, Yellow Pear and so on. These fruits usually cost between NGN 10-30 per kilo depending on the size 🙂 I hope this answers your question, if not leave a comment for further inquiry.
How profitable is tomato farming in Nigeria?
Farming tomatoes in Nigeria is profitable. This can be seen by the fact that people grow and sell them around the country despite their being a heaps of other crops to choose from like cassava, pepper, onion etc.
I hope that answers your question and you have the best of luck in starting a tomato business in Nigeria!
How profitable is tomato farming in Nigeria
Tomato farming in Nigeria is a profitable venture when done with the right techniques, but it can be tricky. There are five main factors that determine profitability for tomato farmers: soil type, climate, market demand, labor and capital.
In addition to these factors to take into account before starting out as a tomato farmer there are other business considerations such as access to inputs like seeds and fertilizers or hiring of labor which also play an important role on how profitable your farm will be.
How profitable is tomato farming in Nigeria?
The answer all depends on what you do with your tomatoes! If you have the right technique for growing them then this endeavor can be very lucrative indeed–assuming you know where to sell them at a fair price! Here’s a quick guide to help you decide whether growing tomatoes in Nigeria is worth your effort.
Help to share to other and if you need further help, post a comment below or ask it here: Ask Your Own Question Here! If you think it will benefit others as well I’ll be glad to answer them for you. Thanks