Coconuts - Nigeria's Next Forex Earner?


Picture credit: @greensprout
 I'd never seen so many coconuts in one place until we started working on this story and had to visit the Agbalata coconut market in Badagry...and yes I have to visit that place again to see the Badagry Slave Museum and Route.
     Okay, so we all know that coconuts are versatile fruits used for their water, flesh and husks in various industries like food and cosmetics. We also know that the coconut water is rich in potassium and is an effective re-hydration drink and that the oil can be used for hair and skin moisturizing, cooking, and even save your relationship!
     But do you know that Nigeria has about 1.2 million hectares of arable land available for coconut farming but only about 36,000 hectares has been cultivated, leaving room for a huge expansion? I mean with all the plans to boost the agricultural sector thereby reducing reliance on oil exports, this great market potential is still left untapped. Apart form small scale farmers, coconuts are grown only in the country's coastal areas but Nigeria is yet to significantly invest in the business...leaving everyone heading to the Badagry market to buy in bulk. We met a man who came all the way from Kano! What a trip that must have been for him! Coconut traders have to rely on supply from other West African countries like Ghana and Benin. The government says it is working on plans to distribute hybrid seeds that can yield fruits in less than four years.
     There is also a burgeoning industry for coconut water! My kids love coconut water. I bought 40 pieces for 2000 naira (6 U.S. dollars) from the Badagry market. Two friends Ese Aigbogun and Kola saw an opportunity to supply fresh coconut water so they started "Green Sprout" in 2016. They source for very fresh and still tender green coconuts and extract the water. It is manually distilled and no additives or preservatives are added. It must be chilled or frozen at all times. Please check them out on Instagram @greensprout ...buy Naija and support start-ups.

Please clink on link to watch video as used by CGTN Africa

Picture credit: @greensprout
Picture credit: @greensprout

Picture credit: @greensprout






Picture credit: +nneka chile 

Comments

  1. ujoh30 July 2020 at 16:19


    Hello,

    If you want to go into coconut farm business, There are so many company website this days like http://www.virtatrade.com that will enable you as a beginner to raise the fund you need to start up your coconut farm business without you seeking for a loan.

    This company is where many business dealers from all over the world generate fund that backup their various businesses financially.

    I used this company to backup my cocoa beans export business each time my business is running down.

    You can visit and register with the company website here http://www.virtatrade.com to raise the fund you need now to go into your coconut farm business.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiwa seeks to restore our forgotten folk-tale tradition

Image
If you are an 80's child like me and grew up watching Tales by Moonlight on NTA (Nigeria Television Authority) then you will understand why this story struck a chord when I first saw it.      As usual I was strolling on the streets of Instagram when I saw a post by @Lagoshousewife about this bear that tells African folk tales. Immediately, my child hood flashed before me.     You see, folk tales were traditionally an important learning tool before the introduction of formal education. Children will sit on the floor, surrounding either a parent or grand parent who told them stories about the tortoise or the dog, and these stories always ended with a moral lesson. Folk tales were used to pass knowledge from generation to generation.      However, even after formal education took the fore front, folk tales were still told to children but this is gradually waning and Nigerian entrepreneur Tola Akanbi decided to do something to help, he created Tiwa The Talking Bear, something
Read more

Rare Super Blood Moon By Midnight Today

Image
     We expect to see a bloody moon from midnight today, Sunday 28, 2015 between the hours of 12 midnight to 6am. The bloody moon, when it occurs will last for about an hour. A bloody moon occurs because the moon is very close to the earth, making it extremely bright. According to NASA this has only happened five times since 1900, the last one was in 1982, and the next one will be in 2033.      Everything has been tied around this bloody moon, from it being the end of the world, to volcanoes erupting, to earthquakes and all of that. In fact I just read on christian.com that in the US state of Utah, people are already stock piling on dried foods and emergency stuff. They are so convinced something will happen. The world had ended so many times in the past, yet these end time propagators don't just stop, they just find a new date and continue.
Read more

Ending the long walk in the desert; A story of modern day slavery

Image
I asked him why he decided to leave for Europe through the desert. He responded in the local Nigerian pidgin parlance: "I learn carpenter work for here, no body gree help me start up my own place, my oga pursue me, my people no gree help. My friend tell me say make I come make we commot this country, I no even know were we dey go until we reach desert and I no fit turn back again. Na only ghost I dey see for road. The thing wey I suffer for Libya nko? Two whole years! From one prison to another, from one slave master to another. My mouth no fit talk am." Since February 2017, more than five thousand Nigerian migrants have been repatriated from Libya. These are our brothers and sisters who left the country mostly by road, hoping to get to Libya, and cross over to Europe through the Mediterranean. However, they got stuck. Several of them faced exploitation and abuse, some were sold into slavery, some were kept in prison for months, living on water and little or no food. 
Read more