2010 Mid_Year Farming Season:Maize and Cassava

FREEBORN FARMS NIGERIA
an iwin global company

2010 Mid_Year Farming Season
Maize and Cassava
Location:Edo State,Nigeria
Size: 1Hectare

ITEM NOTE AMOUNT [N]
Land: 1 5,000
Preparation: 20,000
Spraying with Herbicides: 15,000
Planting[Maize] 15,000
Planting [Cassava] 16,000
Spraying with grower: 5,000
Spraying with Herbicides : 5,000
Harvest *

Consultancy fees : 4,000
Management fees [20% of input] 12,200

TOTAL 97,200

EXPECTED OUTPUT
Maize [3 /4 months from planting date] 175,000
Cassava [10/12 months from planting] 250,000

TOTAL 425,000

Net Profit 327,800

Note:A special contingency fund of 10,000 is to be paid contingency purpose,this amount is refunded if not spent

INTRODUCTION

Maize is one of most important cereal grain corps in the world. It is second only to only rice and wheat. It is grown in the tropical and temperature region of the world e.g. brazil, U.S.A, china, etc, with Africa producing below 12% of the world’s maize consumption even with it’s adequate soil and climate requirement(especially in its equatorial and rainforest regions)

USES OF MAIZE
v It can be eaten,boliled or roasted
v Fresh corn can be prepare into corn
v Dried maize grains can be used to prepare pap
v It is used to prepare livestock feeds e.g. poultry mash
v Flour and oil be obtained from the seed
v It can be used in starch preparation
v The vegetable part can used in silage making
v Pith of maize stalks can be used in making explosive

CLIMATE AND SOIL REQUIREMENT
v Annual rainfall ranging 600m to 1500mm
v A dry period for maturing is necessary, because under humid condition with hot sunshine, disease derecoy is the leaves,flower cooc resulting in the poor pollination(coos produced have missing grain
v Optimum temperature requirement is 33 to 34
v Maize is least grown in well-drained fertile sandy-lean but can be grown moisit soilo sa well
v
LAND PREPARATION
In the rainforest best of southern Nigeria, the forest or bush is best cleared late December or early January ;this is where rain have fully stopped
The trees and leaves are allowed to dry sufficient by the scorching sun and dry hatmattan wind. in late January or early February, the land is burnt;(please use adequate guarding so as not to lead to bush fire as all the trees and bushes around will be dried also).
The burnt debris (charcoal and ashes should be left on the surface as mulching material. maize can be inter-cropped with cassava and cowpea

PLANTING AND SPACING
One or two years grains are planted per hole at a seed rate about 25kg/ha or 11kg/acre.the seeds are put in the soil to a depth of 3cm spacing for planting within rows should be 25cm to 30cm,and btw rows should be 60cm to 80cm.this is approximately 20,000 holes per acre and 45,700 holes per hectares.


WEEDING
This may be done with the use of;
v Manual labour
v Mechanical means
v Chemical means

Weeding (manual or mechanical) should be three before harvest i.e. 2nd, 5th, and 9th week. The cleared weed should be left as surface cover to reduce evaporation (cooling effect) and serves as mulching material later.

HARVESTING
Fresh corn matures when the corn turns brown (60-90) days after planting. Harvesting the grain is between 90-120 days after planting. Early harvest is advisable to reduce damage by bird, storage and disease.

OTHERS
(A)
(B) Dressing : thus is done with an `Acdrex T to prevent loss due soil pest such as termite and `fernassaD`to avoid infection with fungal disease
(C) Fertilizer Application
(1) compound fertilizer N.P.K 15;15;15 IS USED as a dosage for bags per hectare during planting
(2) this followed by ammonium trioxosulphate(vi)per hectre 6-7 weeks after planting
Note:
The fertilizer may be applied in band 10cm away from the seedlings

SOURCES OF LAND

(1) GOVERNMENT RESERVED LAND:
This exist in heal government areas of Nigeria. it is reserved to prevent illegal exploitation of forest product and also serves as wind break. The only challenge is that an individual is entitled to only one or two acres at a time
(2) Land can be sourced by agreement with COMMUNITIES and individuals with large expanse of land for a minimum of 5yrs.This can be paid for by commission or rental fee
(3) large expanse of land can by OUTRIGHT PURCHASE from individuals and communities for agricultural purposes

SOURCE OF CAPITAL

v world bank
v Nigeria bank
v Federal government
v State government
v Local government
v Government parastatals
v Cooperate bodies
v Formation of cooperate body
v Others

COST IMPLICATION
1. The clearing, planting, weeding and harvest will be manual only
2. Fresh forest with less fertilizer input will be used
3. Natural water as against irrigation will be used
Note:
With improved financing, mechanization, pesticide, herbicide, fertilizers and irrigation can be imputed to boost the production. This is an achievable objective.

For example instead of depending solely on fresh forest; used land can be re-cultivated by enhancing land preparation using plough and harrows to turn mulch material into the soil. Also fertilizer can be applied. Adequate irrigation is applied and natural rainfall will: not prevent availability if maize in dry season. Also herbicides are used to weed as against manual labour and harvesting becomes mechanized. This is an underground method and gives rise to produced plantation agricultural to produce food on large scale .We really do think this is the future.

S/N
ACTIVITY
COST PER ACRE
N
1
Hiring an acre from the government reserves
3,000
2
Forest clearing [ manual]
7,000
3
Burning [ manual]
1,000
4
Packing [ manual]
1,000
5
Seeds [Local]
4,000
6
Planting [ manual]
4,000
7
1st weeding [ manual]
6,000
8
2nd weeding [ manual]
6,000
9
3rd weeding [ manual]
6,000
10
Dressing and fertilizer application
25,000
11
Harvesting and/or Shelling
3,000
12
Security
2,000
13
Transportation
2,000

TOTAL
70,000

WHAT DO I STAND TO BEBEFIT FROM INVESTING IN A MAIZE PLANTATION

v Maize has a maturity period of 90-120 days i.e. 4 months from clearing and harvesting. An acre will produce a minimum of 20,000 maize cobs. This harvest sold at the prevailing market rate of

Percentage Profit [%]
= [200,000.00 – 70,000.00 – 14,000.00] 100
_______________________________________________ * ____ = 138%
70,000.00 + 14,000.00 1

This implies that you stand to make N 16,000.00 as PROFIT.
Now if you put the amount invested plus profit in a fixed deposit account in Nigeria for a period of 12months a maximum of 14% interest rate will be added; mathematically it will look like this:
14 1
200,000.00 * ____ * ___ = 28,000.00
100 1
This implies that a profit of ONLY N 28,000.00 will be realized from such an investment.

Now imagine what you stand to make as profit if the same amount of N 200,000.00 into a maize plantation.
It is important you realize that with irrigation we do not have to wait for the rains and with the use of fertilizers to enhance soil and plant quality we can cultivate maize all year round.


With an initial investment outlay of N 84,000 per acre for a cultivating all year round; this will yield gross revenue of
N 316,000.00

This can better be explained mathematically thus: