Every business in Nigeria shouldn’t be about buying and selling, vegetable farming is one aspect of farming in Nigeria that is capable of bringing quick cash to the would be farmer this season. There are so many people in the streets of Lagos who have no business being in Lagos. While they waste away in poverty, hoping for a better tomorrow; opportunity to make good money through farming keep passing them by on daily basis.
The term ‘Farmer’ used to be heavily associated with poverty and illiteracy. But that was then, not now anymore when farmers are becoming the richest people (I heard that one of the richest man in China is a farmer) and leaving the best of life possible.
Types of Vegetable Farming to Start
Vegetable farming happens to be one of the easiest agriculture to engage in. Any kind of edible vegetable is always in hot demand all year round. One good example is Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) popularly known as Ugu in Igbo and across Nigeria.
Ugu vegetable is by far, the most consumed vegetable of any kind in Nigeria. An acre size Ugu farm is capable of turning in above N500,000 and it will take you less than N60,000 to cultivate one acre farm of pumpkin vegetable.
If you are in Lagos, the entire Power Line of hundreds of Acres, that stretched from Egbin power station in Ijede, Ikorodu, down to almost Ikorodu garage are extremely good for Ugu farming and you can get them almost free to cultivate your pumpkin and other vegetables.
1. Fluted Pumpkin (Ugu Leaf) Farming
Like I’ve said before, Pumpkin vegetable is the most consumed vegetable by Nigerians of all class. It is used to prepare varieties of dishes and it’s very nutritious too. When you talk about soup in Nigeria, you are directly talking about ugu because, almost all Nigerian soups are cooked with this vegetable.
Apart from cooking, pumpkin vegetable has been known to increase the volume of the red blood cell when consumed fresh, without being cooked. The blood enhancing nutrients gives it the ability to expand the volume of your blood at a very short time after consumption.
It is of course natural for a vegetable of these benefits and usage to be in high demand. Anyone who can cultivate Ugu, is definitely going to make good money selling it to market women. Ugu can be cultivated in every part of Nigeria due to the plant’s tolerant of drought and poor soil.
SEE ALSO: Ugu Vegetable Business: The ATM machine in Your Backyard
2. Green Okra Farming
Okra, which is popularly known as the lady’s finger and gumbo in many English speaking countries is a very nutritious edible green pod vegetable. When sliced, the okra’s edible green seed pods produces slippery sticky substance that make the soup tick, smooth, and delicious. My personal experience with okra shows that eating fresh vegetable soup prepared with plenty of okra can relive constipation and increase digestion.
If you are a Nigerian, you don’t need to be told about okra soup. It’s one of the most popular soup in Nigeria restaurants, usually prepared with Ugu vegetable and smoked fish. Very delicious and tastes good.
Okra contains good amount of Vitamin-A and is known to be anti-oxidant due to it’s good content of beta-carotene. It is also rich in Vitamin-C, Vitamin-K, and some form of Vitamin-B Complexes. Like Fluted Pumpkin, it tolerate all kinds of soil.
3. Cabbage Farming
Cabbage is another popular vegetable in Nigeria and is popularly used to prepare salads. The only part of the plant that is normally eaten is the rounded leafy head (the spherical cluster of immature leaves) excluding the partially unfolded outer leaves.
Because of it’s spicy flavor, Cabbage is used in a variety of dishes, and is widely consumed raw as well. It is in high demand in Nigeria and sells for reasonably good price.
Cabbage really does not like the sun, it grows better in a cold environment but must get at least 6 hours of sunlight everyday. It grows well on a well fertile, well drained manured soil.
4. Cucumber Farming
Great skin starts with Cucumber; If you really want your skin to be happy, your number one answer is cucumber. This is because, cucumber and skin is known to share the same level of hydrogen content, which makes it easier for cucumber to deal with the skin problems by engulfing them. It works well in soothing, softening, and relaxing your skin very quickly.
Cucumber can be eaten raw and can be used for preparation of different kinds of food in Nigeria. Cultivating this vegetable will surely put money into your pockets.
SEE ALSO: How To Start Cucumber Farming In Nigeria And Make It Big
Cucumbers like every other vegetables like soil that is well drained and rich in organic matter, but don’t stress about the soil conditions. Cucumbers are hearty plants and easy to grow. Just make sure they have full sunlight and soil that is rich in organic matter.
Cucumber sells fast in markets across Nigeria and is widely consumed. It is another vegetable farming that can make you lot of money.
5. Ewedu (Jute Leaf) Farming
Ewedu is probably the most popular vegetable among the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria. I have seen people make good money cultivating ewedu in commercial quantity.
SEE ALSO: Ewedu Farming In Nigeria Is Very Profitable And Lucrative
When you engage in vegetable farming, you will have plenty of food to eat, sell to make good cash, and it gets you closer to nature. These will increase your overall well being as a human-being. So, give it a trial today and see yourself happy.
wow you are doing great with the biznes information on site. but i cant find post of online business thanks
Hello, I am currently cultivating about 4 different vegetables in my farm. Of worthy note on cucumber is the organic content of the soil and the proper drainage. My own field is quite rich due to the long duration of fallowing but the water retention level is high thus the drainage is inversely low an it seems to have affected the rate of growth and yield, however I just harvested my first fruits today, yippie! It's a must-do for every unemployed youth out there!
That's great news! Keep it up man. There is no better way to survive in Nigeria right now that through farming
for ur soil to be properly drained you need to poor Organic matter/manure very well so as to loose the soil particles and make it friable.
I am greatly impressed with your post. How I wish every young Nigerian could read it and be inspired like me. Seriously you are doing a great job to your generation. Thanks.
Thank you for being motivated… I hope everyone does like you
I'm interested in going into vegetable(ugu) farming but I dont know where to start from. I'm having #60,000 and I intend starting it in Edo state. As for marketing, I will go to the market and contact those selling if they can be buying from me. Please I want you to advise me on its advantages and disadvantages on how I can start ugu farming. Right now I have nothing doing than sitting at home. Please advise me so that I will not spend the money. Thanks and God Bless.
Regards.
Chris
This is wanderful. I will give it a try
Dear Darlington, you are doing a great service. But you need to create a medium by which we have access to our contact phone numbers and email addresses. For instance i need to reach out to Arthur Gamba and i am unable to because of your rule of leaving no contact details. Please address this.
Regards,
Pls, I want to know more about growing vegetables profitably in nigeria and getting viable seeds.
Thanks For Ur Info On Farming. My Question Is How Can One Get Seedlings Of Shoko, Green Etc?
Want to start growing green vegetables Efo, Soko etc. How do I get the seedlings that they say grows in 2 weeks. I have a plot of land though far away from where I live. How Do I start with small money. What are the conditions or preparation to make to avoid loss.Please advice me. Thanks and God bless you as you do so.
Also Needed Are Hybrid Tomatoes Seedlings, Peppers, Ladies Finger(Okra) Cucumber, Matermelon.
Pls,i intend to go into growing of fluted pumpkin but just don’t kw hw to get started. I hav a massive land space that I can use 4 growing it.
Planting fluted pumpkin is actually very easy but it not something u can just learn without seeing how its done 1st hand. So I advice u get an experienced hand to help u so u won’t run at a loss.
You are really doing a great job. I intend to start growing Soko, Tete & Ewedu. Please how do I get the best breed & what are the things I need to know to get started.
i check your post on Nigeria farming very good. Presently i am planning to go on farming which i want to based on vegetable such as Ewedu, Ugu, and others.I did not studies Agriculture or let me put like dis i am not a farmer but i want to start the business. i just secure 2acres of land in Ibadan . kindly advice
Good afternoon sir. I want to go I to vegetables for commercial purpose especially efo tête and soko on an hectare of land
I have no idea at all I needed technical assistance.thank you sir
I want to plant soko and tête vegetables on an hectare of land, do I have to transplant for large commercial purpose
Your reports are the best I have seen about farming so far. Now, if I want to grow cabbage in Ibadan, Oyo State, would be possible.
Thanks
Whether u are employed or unemployed, you should be able to farm most of the food you eat as this will cut down ur expenditure by at least 30% which if you save over time will accumulate to tremendous wealth.
Please, Darlington, there are about 2,000 farmers who are looking for industries to take up their fluted pumpkin and Solanum sp.(igba/Igbo in Yoruba). Please, how could link me up? Your prompt response would be highly appreciated.
Great job you’ve done here. Can I plant cabbage in Rivers state. How about onious and carrots.
Please am about to start up a vegetable farm and will like to meet one or two framers here in Lagos here is my number 07014965305 I want to learn more
i have a farm in ogun state acres of land but my present job do not give me tht space of farming but i love farming,meanwhi;le can i get a machinery here…and what is the percentage …if any drop ur contact