Kolanut cultivation and exporting
In Nigeria, Kolanut is a popular fruit used in various traditions. It is eaten more by the northerners and popular in the South-Eastern part of the country. However, it is widely grown in the South West, in states such as; Ogun, Kwara, Osun and Oyo State.
In Nigeria, Kola nut is very important because it is used in many cultures as a sign of good gesture and respect, in events such as marriages, business transactions to sign contracts and treaties. In many parts of Igbo land, Kola nuts are given to strangers as a welcome gift to show hospitality and respect. It is also used in meetings i.e. business and community meetings and in many rites of passages. In some cases, it is used as a sacred offering in religious worship.
Kolanut is not a product segregated to a particular social stratum or gender. It is eaten by both the poor and the affluent; men and women; Muslims, Christians, etc.
Nigeria has a suitable climate which helps in the effective growth of Kola nut. In fact, the country has been ranked 1st in terms of production with just 1/10 of the total production being exported and the remaining locally consumed. The states where kola nut is widely cultivated include; Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Kwara states. In spite of the many local and domestic uses of kolanut, the product is still a large market to be explored in terms of its exports.
Kolanut Business in Nigeria: How to Get Started
Kola nut export is one of the least explored and known money-making ventures in some parts of this country. If you have access to Kola nuts, exporting the product to foreign countries is a very profitable business. Kola nut is a highly sought after product in foreign countries because of its many usages both in industries such as pharmaceutical, soft drinks, and production of spices. The product is also in high demand, hence you will make enough money exporting kolanut.
How to start your Kolanut farm
-
Have a business plan
A business plan helps you with feasibility and market studies which are essential for your Kolanut market, for example a call center to sell will do very well. You need to know the locations where Kolanut sells the most, profitable prices, equipments to be gotten and their expenses, etc.
- Land preparation and planting
Once you have acquired the land for your kola nut farming, the next thing to do is to get it ready for cultivation. You start by clearing the land of bushes and tree stumps as well as tilling the land. You use fresh Kola nut seeds to cultivate kola nut. The seeds take between 5-6 weeks to sprout and about 5 years to yield fruits. Kolanut farming is a wise lifetime investment.
-
Weeding
This is a very important step. You weed kola nut farm on regular intervals in order to have an improved yield. You can weed the farm manually or apply herbicides on the farm.
-
Irrigation
Irrigation is also an important step for the proper growth of your kola nut plants. Ensure that there is a good drainage system in place to remove the excess water. When you utilize easymerchant.co.uk Drain Professionals, they will determine the best drainage solution based on your lawn or field’s particular problems and needs.
-
Pest and diseases
There are common pests that attack the Kolanut, such as Kola weevil. You can use pesticides to control the growth of pests on your farm
- Harvesting your kolanut
Once your kola nut plants have attained maturation, you can either harvest manually or mechanically by plucking the pods that contain the fruits. After harvesting the pods, you can open them to allow the fruits to dry to an extent.
- Marketing strategy
Marketing is the soul of any business. You must have a very good marketing strategy in order to succeed in kola nut farming business. Once you decide to venture into kola nut farming business, ensure you contact your potential buyers. The leading buyers of Kola nut fruits include the brewery and beverage companies. You can also have customers in the local markets. If you do not want to be involved directly in the export of Kola nut, you can contact retailers and wholesalers to hasten the sale of your kola nuts.
How to Start Kola Nut Export to Foreign Countries
-
Find a reliable supplier
Find a Kolanut farmer who will constantly supply you with Kolanut
-
Secure a buyer
You can get a buyer through a referral or the internet.
-
Cleaning up the product
When you buy the kola nuts, ensure you take time out to clean up dirty spots and marks which are caused by infections and other weather-related issues. The next thing to do is to wrap it up in a paper at the weight of 1kg per wrapper then have 7 wrappers packed into a carton which would be 7kg in all. That is the acceptable kg per carton.
-
Look for a courier company
You need a courier company with favourable prices through which you can export your goods. When packaging the Kola nut in cartons, make sure that none of the cartons exceed 7kg in order to avoid being rejected by the courier service.
-
Advertisement
Once you have started your business and have gained some name for yourself, you can have an online presence where you can have your goods advertised.
-
Capital
For a Kola nut export business, your start-up capital could be about N80, 000 to N150, 000 depending on how large you want to begin. This also depends on how much you want to supply. With a kola nut of N50,000, you could spend at least N10,000 to get the wrappers and other expenses to have it packaged. After packaging, take it to a Courier company for transportation to the destination where your customers are.
-
Registering with the shipping council
While a small scare Kolanut export business can use the method explained above, if you are thinking of going big with your Kolanut export business, then you would have to register with the shipping council to have your goods forwarded for you without problems. Kola nut export is easy.