Nigeria is among the largest producers of soya bean in Africa. This article presents you with details on how you can start this as a business in Nigeria. Soya beans is very nutritious.
Steps To Start Soya Beans Production In Nigeria
Nevertheless they have not attained complete capacity because soya beans farming in Nigeria is mainly operated by small farm holders that grow the crops as a minor crop among the other minor crops like beans, maize, cassava etc.
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The soya bean price in Nigeria needs to come down. The global demand for this crop is close to 11 million tons. The expenditure of soya beans is up to 619 thousand tons.
Features Of Soya Beans
Soya beans is an edible legume that is nutritious. It is very rich in calcium, protein, iron, fiber, magnesium and other minerals and vitamins. Soya beans is of versatile nature and can be fermented, dried, cooked and turned into products like flour, milk, tofu etc.
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It bears pods and is grown widely of which it can be used for many purposes. The soya bean plant can be said to be oleaginous by classification. Soya beans can be cultivated only in subtropical, tropical and moderate climates. The stalks, pods and foliage are normally coated with grey fleece or brown and this can be said to be 2m in length. The beans start mellowing after the foliage falls. Soya beans farming is a very profitable enterprise in Nigeria and this can provide employment for a third of the Nigerian population.
The Cultivation Of Soya Beans
This normally starts in May or June in the country. Soya beans tends to grow well on many kinds of soil apart from deep soils that do not retain water properly. The recommendation for the ground PH for soya bean is 6.5 and calcification can be done. Moderate zones are good for soya beans. When the nights start lengthening and there is shortening of days, blossoming then occurs. However the cultivation and planting of soya beans and its stages of mellowing have caused the creation of crops that have many sizes. Another consideration in the cultivation of soya beans is the rainfall. The climatic condition of Nigeria is favourable and this is ideal for the flourishing of soya beans. The annual recording of rainfall in most areas of the country is 700mm.
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Adequate irrigation will improve the harvest. The trend of irrigation agriculture is becoming prevalent in Nigeria. Also efficient water supply is necessary during the beans expansion and proceed of the cod.
Steps To Start Soya Beans Farming
1. Get a suitable land with the approximate soil
The first process that you need is to get a suitable land for your cultivation. The South Western and South Eastern zones of Nigeria possess soils that are required for cultivating soya beans in Nigeria. Note that the beans seeds normally does not do well in rainy seasons since the moist grounds have the capacity to decay the legume crops. The cultivation of soya beans is suitable for dry grounds. There are many benefits that are associated with choosing the appropriate soil for soya beans and this comes with many benefits like fewer weeds, erosion and the appropriate nutrients balance and soil PH. This then will form plants that are healthier with proper yields. Loamy soil that is well drained is the best form of soil for the cultivation of soya beans. Nevertheless if the soil you are working with has much clay content, it becomes more suitable by cultivating your beans and having them mixed with mulch or sand. You will not have to plant soya beans on a water logged environment or soil that is sandy.
2. Find the appropriate type of seeds
Thousands of soya beans exist. Ensure that the appropriate type of seeds is selected. If your wish is to have soya beans grown for it’s consumption, ensure that you pick a green variety that is edible. You will get a yellow seeded variety of your target customers. Nevertheless if you happen to dry the soya beans, you then choose a black seeded type. The varieties that most common in Nigeria are TGX 1835-10E, TGX 1485-ID and TGX 1448-2E. These categories can be gotten from seed firms or from the Ministry of Agriculture where it has freedom from pests and diseases.
3. Seed rate
The appropriate requirement for soya beans for one hectare of land is normally estimated at between 50kg to 60kg.
4. Ensuring planting at the appropriate time
The yield of soya beans plant produce the highest yields when planted in May. However the temperature of the soil should be properly considered. The recommendation is that you do your planting with the warming of soil to about 60F ( 15.5 centigrade) and the air to a range of 70F. It is also preferable that the soya beans is planted along the onions.
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5. Seed bed preparation
Soya beans plants need a proper balance of nutrients in the soil to function properly. The plants will not properly if there are too few materials or too many nutrients. If it happens that the area has not been enriched, you add a fertilizer to the soil. Add compost or manure for more nutrients to enrich the soil before you have them planted. Cultivation starts in Nigeria in May/June when the rain starts and the harvesting happens in October/November and this is dependent on the sowing time.
6. Seed inoculation
One necessary nutrient needed by soya beans is nitrogen. The best method of ensuring that your soya beans seeds obtains the best nitrogen is by having them inoculated with Bradyrhzobuim japonium in the soil bacterium. Place them in the bucket and have them sprinkled with the bacterium.
7. Seed planting
Have the soya beans seed sowed 1.5 inch depth into the soil and then space the beans to about 3 inches away from each other. Have the beans planted at 30 inches of space. Prevent the growth of moulds by not watering the foliage.
8. Caring for the soya beans
a) Keep off the rabbits to do this by:
i) making fence with stakes into the ground and attaching chicken wire.
ii) having metal rigs planted across the farm bed.
b) having the soya bean crop trimmed out. Ensure spacing at 4-6 inches.
c) Having the area properly weeded because soya beans don’t compete properly with weeds and this kills them if there are many weeds.
9. Water
During the 3 stages soya beans often require extra water and this include when they start growing and before they proceed out from the soil, when the pods develop and when they flower. Ensure proper watering to keep the soil moist.
10. Harvesting
Harvesting your soya beans can start 3 months after they are planted. The plant then should have attained maturity. The determination of this is after 90% of it have become brown in color. There is need for drought weather in your harvest.
11. Post harvesting
This takes place once you attain the necessary degree of dryness, you prepare the pods for threshing. You can have this done by making use of the manual method or by utilising a thresher. Next is the separation of the soya beans from the chaffs. There is storage of obtained seeds and this is done in silos and bags.
12. Pests and diseases
The major pests that disrupt soya bean crop are pod suckers, bean fliers, caterpillars, silverleaf, nematodes, whitefly etc. Insecticides can control them. The worst disease for soya beans is the soya beans crop rust
13. Fertilizer application
Soya beans do not need much of fertilizers. It has the potential to have nitrogen provided to the soil by the use of nitrogen fixation through the nodules of the root of the plant.
You can go ahead to do your soya beans processing in Nigeria and put them to the market.
Conclusion
This article tells you how to start a soya bean business in Nigeria. Soya beans is very nutritious and ought to be consumed frequently. It can be ground into powder or used for drinking palm. It can be cooked in various manners. This is profitable in Nigeria. If you have any questions on starting the enterprise in Nigeria, feel free to make use of our comment box.
