Pineapple farming is one of the underrated agribusiness in Nigeria. It has a lot of unexpected returns and might now need a bit of work. Pineapple Farming doesn’t require a lot of unnecessary spending if you have a sufficient budget for the kind of scale you are targeting.

Pineapple farming is the culturing or planting of Pineapple for the purpose of consumption, beautification and commercial purposes. I wouldn’t have brought this topic up if there are enough Pineapple in the market. The demand is definitely less than the supply an fit is very obvious. It becomes scarce day by day and the prices rises exorbitantly as well.

Pineapple is used in the juicing industries. There are Pineapple juices that serve several health benefits to the body. They are amongst the first cultural substances a fitness coach kg nutritionist will direct you to boost your energy after several difficult works.

Amongst the African highest Pineapple producing country is Nigeria. This means we have the tendency of topping the list if there are more farmers and investors seeing this as a potential. If we had been smarter enough this might have been another stream of income, means of employment for youths and another source of national revenue.

If you have wine, juice, jam or anything made with Pineapple, just trust the nutritional sufficiency. It contains vitamins and minerals which fastens the action of grown up tissues. In some other countries, Pineapple is used as ornamental plants and can be used for beautification.

Varieties of Pineapples for Pineapple farming

There are several varieties of pineapple. The one you will go for as a farmer depends on the environment and factors around. In Nigeria, there is
the smooth leaf (cayenne) and the gold (yellow) crown Pineapple. They both grow well in the Nigeria climate.

Smooth Leaf: This kind of Pineapple is a very sweet Pineapple without spine. The fiber composition is two compared to others and it has striped leaves. This is a kind of Pineapple that has higher PH but not basic or neutral.
Gold crown: This kind of Pineapple is also known as Queen. It is planted during the cold seasons and is a bit more acidic than Smooth leaf. It also has almost the same amount of flavors but grows smaller than the smooth leaf.

Benefits of Pineapple

Pineapple helps in catalyzing the breaking or digestion of protein substances in the body.
It helps to improve digestion primarily and also boost immunity.
You can use pineapple as the first aid for Arthritis when you start seeing symptoms.
Fitness coach advices Pineapple fruits juice over others to fastens the calming if the body.
It is also used for bringing the body back to shape after surgery.

How To Start Pineapple Farming In Nigeria: Step By Step Guide

dynamic wang Yv6FA YbGBw unsplash — Picture Credit: Dynamic Wang

Site selection for Pineapple Farming

The first step in any agribusiness is to select a suitable site for the kind of crop you are cultivating. If you are going for Pineapple, then there are important factors to note about that area. The site should be of Sandy-humid soil that retains water very well and has a moderately acidic pH between 4.5 and 5.5.

Land Preparation for Pineapple Farming

After you have chosen a site that has those properties above, the next step is to prepare your plants for the planting season. Get it ready for the variety of Pineapple you want to plant.

Clear the land such that it will be free of weeds, debris and stumps. Also, plough and harrow it to keep it smooth and soft for planting. After about 10 days come to make your ridges. The ridges should be made properly. Also, make sure the topography of the land is at least smooth or steep slopes to reduce water logging.

Planting

Pineapple is planted using slip, seed, sucker and crown. However, the most used in Nigeria is the Sucker. After about 6- 8 weeks of harvesting other Pineapple from another farm, then you can make use of the sucker for planting. You can also buy sucker from reliable farmers. This suckle is treated with acetylene and planted on the ridges you made during land preparation.

During the first four months of planting, you need to make sure that your Pineapple has optimum access to water. Each sucker should be settled by an average space of about 30x60cm. And make sure each row (ridges) is 2 meters from each other so that the root of the pineapple can grow well. Finally, make sure that it is exposed to direct sunlight and moderate temperature for it to grow well.

Care for your Pineapple farming Business

Weeds are definitely going to evolve in your farm. These are unwanted plants or grasses that will compete with your Pineapple for spaces, nutrients, water etc and if they are just too many on your farm. Some of your yields will die while those that survive might not be really productive. Remove weeds as soon as you notice them.

Also, when weeds have started building up in your farm, there is a possibility for pests and diseases to set it. Make sure you remove weeds and you treat the farm with chemicals (pesticides) to prevent pest and diseases.

Harvesting Your Pineapples

Within 13-24, your pineapple would be mature enough for you to think of harvesting. The only issue is that you have to provide the optimal care for your farm crops. Also, your variety will determine how long this will take. Suckers are harvested within 13-14, while the crown yellow variety have their harvest period within 19-20 months.