You have just graduated or have been a graduate for years, from a school, college, polytechnic or university, and without any job? You have been brandishing your letters of application and curriculum vitae (CV) all over the place – in government ministries, parastatals, agencies, offices, public and private companies, private individuals and everywhere. Are you still waiting for that “illusive job?” or “appointment”? Crude oil, which is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, is a ‘wasting asset’ – nature cannot replenish oil deposits. Oil, which is Nigeria’s major and primary source of oil wealth, is fast depleting! Be independent, self-employed and help yourself. STOP fooling yourself! Get a life . . .

NnendiFoods debuts this new presentation:

The Independent Guide To Wealth Creation In Nigeria

GROW BEANS IN NIGERIA & MAKE MONEY

_________________________________________

How To Start Beans Farming In Small And Large Scale

Darlinton Omeh | Agriculture

Beans is the third most consumed food stuff in Nigeria and other West African countries after Rice and Cassava. Sadly, most of the beans we eat in this country are from Niger Republic, putting money and employment into the hands of the neighboring country when our own soil is even better for Beans farming. So why exactly are we not much into beans farming in Nigeria despite the huge demand in consumption?

Well, the answer lays on the same shortsightedness that average Nigerians always exhibit when it comes to business. If you can look beyond the obvious, you’d find out that very few investment offers same steady income as farming does in Nigeria, including beans farming.

Experience has shown that lands in the south east and south west Nigeria are extremely good for beans farming. I wonder why some men and women prefer to keep wandering around Lagos, prefer to roast corns and plantains at the bus stops in Lagos when opportunity is wasting away in the villages. What exactly are they looking for?

Why neglect the opportunities God has given you and keep looking for what he has not assigned to you? No pastor, no amount of night virgil will put money in your pocket if you have not worked for it. God can only bless your hard work if it is properly channeled, not lack of it! Beans farming in Nigeria is one of the means you can properly channel your hard work.

As a legume, beans is one of the easiest source of protein for the family and every family eats it, both rich and poor. No culture or religion that forbids beans in Nigeria and it can be prepared in so many forms, making it one of the most versatile food staple in Nigeria. When you engage in the farming of food that is highly in demand as beans, you are sure of creating wealth. So, this how it goes-

A 100kg bag of beans is currently sold for N27,000 and there is even time of the year the price used to go as high as N36,000, like when the new beans is yet to come out. Let’s assume you have 100 bags of beans right now and sell for N27,000. You would be making N27,000 x 100 = N2,700,000.

This Beans Field was planted around May

To cultivate beans farm that will yield you 100 bags, you may not need more than N1million naira, provided you can get land in cheap location or you already have good land that is big enough and suitable for beans farming. Another factor that may drive your cost lower is cheap labor, if you can get laborers that charges less, your over head cost would be highly reduced.

Things You Need To Start Beans Farming

1. Good Farm Land – You need to get your farm land in area with suitable climate for optimum growth and performance. Beans don’t grow well in area with too much rain. It require a moderate but well distributed rainfall of about 300 to 400 mm per crop cycle. Dry weather is essential during harvest while prolonged dry conditions or extreme wetness are harmful to crop.

Climbing types will yield well in areas of high rainfall while the dwarf types are more sensitive to high soil moisture levels. Suitable soil types range is from light to moderately heavy and to peaty with organic matter soils that is near neutral pH and good drainage. Common bean is sensitive to salt, you must avoid salty area.

Having found the suitable land for your plantation, next is to get it prepared in readiness for plating. Clear the land properly and burn the grass, then use tractor cultivator to Plows the oil and loosen the earth. Some people do plan just after clearing but properly cleared land do better than the just cleared and planted.

2. Select The Best Seeds – The verities of beans that does well in Nigeria are: The White Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris) and The Red Beans. Select the best verity and do the seed selection too. It is not just enough to select the right verity, you need to manually do the seed selection to ensure you are planting only the best and the most health seeds.

3. Planting – Beans can be planted in either rows or blocks, with 6 inches between each seed. Plant the seeds 2 inches deep into the soil and cover it with the soft surface soil. If possible, let the seed eyes face the ground.

Under normal circumstances and idea conditions, bean would begin to sprout with 6 days of planting and grow into a good sprout within two weeks.

4. Maintenance – Beans does very well in normal soil fertility and does not require fertilizer in most cases. Only fertilize where levels of soil fertility are very low. If you are to fertilize, start after heavy bloom and set of pods. The most suitable fertilizer is the high Nitrogen type.

Use a light hand when applying high nitrogen fertilizer, or you will get lush very beautiful plants but with few beans. So, you need to be moderate in applying fertilizer.

Weeding is essential to the well being of the plant. Be very diligent while weeding and use shallow cultivation to avoid disturbing the roots.

Photo above: Harvesting a beans farm in Nigeria – by farm workers.

On Thursday November 3, 2016, the European Union (EU) banned beans exported from Nigeria. Poandpo, an online media platform reported this sad development. The poandpo.com reported at the time, below:

Nigeria not happy with EU Nigerian beans ban

STAFF WRITER | Thursday November 3, 2016 3:56AM ET

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has complained about the European Union’s ban on the exportation of Nigerian beans.

NEPC said the ban, announced early this year, has been extended to 2020, adding that the discovery of high residues of preservative chemicals led to the ban.

Concerning the ban Director, Export Office, NEPC, Matthew Iranloye said

“It has been extended for three years. It was supposed to be lifted in 2017 but they looked at what is still in the ground and said it does not seem that Nigeria is getting it right.

“We have to redouble our efforts. The next three years, it is still banned but it can still be lifted before the end of that time being 2020.”

He added that NEPC is championing an inter-ministerial committee that is working on the quality issues. A consultant to NEPC, Olumuyiwa Aiyegbusi, put the country’s post-harvest losses at in the region of N1 trillion in Nigeria.

Aiyegusi, who is the chairman of Olu Olu Group, said, “it is a major loss for us. Between production and the market, we are losing 25 to 30 percent of what we produce, that is not good enough.

“It will not give us food security and we cannot export. What we can do to prevent this ugly trend is a holistic approach by preserving and removing water in a conditioned storage. Produce like tomatoes, orange, paw-paw, etc.”

“You can also do the same by removing water from mangoes or pineapple. In other words most of our produce can be preserved by removing water and can be reconstituted when you need it.” ■

Beans farming in Nigeria: 5 steps to your rich life

Author: Vivian Falae

The importance of agriculture in Nigeria cannot be understated. Farming is a sure way to feed a nation and raise the economic level of the country and its citizens. Nigerian land is great for growing all sorts of crops, but the best way to quickly get your investment back and have a significant income is by growing beans. So if you are looking for a profitable farming business in Nigeria, consider beans farming. Here are five steps in which beans can make you rich.

Step 1. Choose and prepare the land for your bean farm

Beans don’t really like moisture all that much, which is why you should look for semi-dry land with moderate rains and sunny weather. In Nigeria, the best land for growing beans is in the south-east and south-west. The soil should have a slight acidity.

Before planting your seeds, prepare your land by removing the weeds and tree stumps, loosen the earth by plowing. Beans do not require you to make bumps on the soil. You can just plant them straight in the ground.

Step 2. Choose the seeds

There are various types of beans that are being grown in Nigeria, but most popular right now are cowpeas. You can also consider growing soya, kidney, white, black and other varieties of beans.

When you decide on the type, the next thing is to purchase the seeds. Make sure they are all about the same size. Do not take damaged or old ones, if you want to receive the best results.

Beans grow rather fast; you will be able to see the first results of your efforts after only 14 days.

Step 3. Plant and maintain your beans

Take your seeds and plant them with their eye downward 10-15 cm apart from each other, and 3-5 cm deep. Water the ground and ensure regular watering of the land until the first sprouts show. After that, try to avoid getting water on the leaves while watering the plants, as excessive moisture might cause molding.

If your beans of choice are cowpeas, they should be rotated with other types of plants after first or second consecutive cropping. In general, it is not advisable to grow the same plant in one spot for longer than four years.

Fertilize the ground, if you feel like your plants are not getting enough nutritious elements. Use store-bought fertilizer or regular farm compost.

While your plants grow, make sure you weed the ground. Be extra careful not to uproot your beans. If you see pests, don’t be afraid to use pesticides.

You should also know that there are two types of bean plants: bush and pole. Bush type usually produces beans before the pole type, and its seeds all come out at the same time. Pole type produces beans for a period of time of up to two months. However, it might need a little extra support for climbing, so be sure to put up some reticulation to help it climb up.

Step 4. Harvest the crops

After a period of 60 to 100 days has passed, your beans should be ready for harvesting. The trick is not to let them overgrow, as they will become too tough. Harvest your beans by pulling the pods gently from the vines.

All beans come in three different types, and the harvesting process depends on each type.

Snap beans should be harvested at a relatively earlier time. The seeds inside the pod should be slightly immature. It is very important not to miss your window of opportunity. If you harvest them too early, they would not be of the right taste and texture. If you are too late, they might become too tough and tasteless. Try sampling several pods to figure out if they are ready for harvesting.

Shell beans should be harvested when the seeds have already developed inside. You can eat such beans in their fresh or dried form.

Dry beans should be harvested at the final stage of the growing process. You should open the pods and let the seeds inside air out to get dry. If it begins to rain, take your crops inside.

If you want to save the seeds from your crop, leave a couple of plants and don’t touch the seeds on them. Leave them alone and water them only occasionally, especially if the weather is very dry. In the end, pick the brown pods for future use.

Step 5. Package and sell the beans

Dry type of beans is the most suitable for selling, as it is convenient to package it, and it has a much longer shelf life than the other two. The best option is to pack the beans in polyethylene bags and sell by half a kilogram, kilogram or in bulk.

However, you can sell snap and shell beans as well; freeze them, sell fresh on the market or put them in cans.

Proper bean farming can guarantee you up to 100% return of your investment and a hefty income on top of it. While taking about 3 months to grow, beans can be grown all year round and bring in required profits.

Currently, Nigeria mostly imports beans from other African countries, all the while having perfectly good lands for bean planting. It gives you a great opportunity to occupy the empty spot on the market and make a significant profit out of it. So go to the farmers’ market and consider this incredible business opportunity.