Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template – cucumber farming business ideas, cucumber marketing strategies, and its potential as export business idea.
In our quest to educate and give free business plan templates Complete Full Marks Consultants Limited, presents another free format of business plan and feasibility studies. This time it’s on how to be a successful business man, farming and marketing cucumber.
In the first place, are you still wondering why you should start cucumber farming in Nigeria. Listen, the members of attractive industry are, Oil and gas, solid minerals, and agriculture. The way things are now globally, and as it affects Nigeria, the first member oil and gas is failing. Globally attention is now being giving to the other two members, solid minerals and agriculture. Agriculture has been the main stay of the world since the creation of mankind. Even the holy books records this.
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Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
Table of Contents
History also tells us about the stone-age people who lived mainly on agriculture. Remember too that what promoted slavery in the past was agriculture so as to be able to feed the then industrial world. The history of Nigerian economy also tells us that Nigeria had depended on agriculture for food and foreign exchange earnings in the past.
Mr. Man/Madam, the truth is that if man leaves agriculture he dies. That is why many global economies have problems now. They left agriculture and they started dying, Nigeria inclusive.
Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
As a matter of fact,the world now needs saviours; those who will farm various cash crops, make their money and yet safe the world from dying. Can you join this crusade. Unlike in the nineteen-fifties and sixties, there are markets now both locally and internationally. Population has so much increase creating the needed market. Knowledge about the health benefits of natural agri-products are known worldwide.
Consequently, the value and importance of agri-business in Nigeria is growing year by year, and currently it is the most profitable and high profile sector in the country. There are abundance of opportunities in agri-business in Nigeria begging to be explored by entrepreneurs just like you. Cucumber farming in Nigeria is one of those opportunities that are begging to be explored.
So, if you too have already realised the potential and importance of cucumber farming, then you are obviously already on the right track. You will be a millionaire soon. How much do you know about this magic crop, just read on.
Apart from the business benefits that we have discussed, cucumbers are said to have the following health benefits: potential anti-diabetic, antioxidant activity, cleansing action of toxins and waste, soothing effect against skin irritation, and prevention of constipation.
Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
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CUCUMBER HEALTH TIPS:
These health benefits are classified as follows:
1. Keeps you out of dehydration– Cucumbers are 95.2% water, which means that a 5-ounce serving contains 4.8 ounces or 150 ml water. That’s already about 26% of your daily water intake through food.
2. Keeps your heart healthy – Cucumbers contain potassium, which helps lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that higher potassium intake is linked with lower rates of stroke and might also reduce the risk of total cardiovascular disease. Eating cucumbers is an easy way to start increasing your potassium intake.
3. Protects your brain from neurological diseases – Cucumbers contain an anti-inflammatory substance called fisetin. It has recently been suggested that fisetin plays an important role in brain health by helping maintain cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Keeps your skin from aging – Have you ever wondered why cucumbers are used in skin care? It is because they have been proven to be effective as a potential anti-wrinkle agent, protecting our skin from the effects of ageing.
5. Relieves pain – Cucumbers contain flavonoids and tannins, which are anti-inflammatory substances that have both been shown to limit the release of free radicals in the body and to reduce pain.
6. Reduces bad breath – Bacteria in the mouth can cause bad breath. Fibre and water-rich vegetables like cucumbers can boost your mouth’s saliva production, which in turn helps wash away the bacteria that cause the odour in the mouth.
7. Protect your bones – Cucumbers are a great source of vitamin K. One cup contains 22% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for bone health, as low vitamin K intakes have been associated with a higher risk of bone fracture, because vitamin K aids the absorption of calcium in the bones.
8. Prevents constipation – Cucumbers are rich in water, and their skin is high in insoluble fibre. Both water and fibre help food to move through the digestive tract quicker and more easily, which helps prevent constipation.
9. Helps you maintain a healthy weight – Cucumbers are very low in calories (16 calories per cup) and they also contain fibre in the skin, which contributes significantly towards a healthy diet.
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Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
I know you are getting on fine and reasoning along so that you will be able to decide on why you should start cucumber farming today.
Although previous experience is desirable, cucumber farming in Nigeria is not as complex as other areas of agriculture, so you can start small with relatively little or no experience. For those who have some farming experience, or are keen to begin on their own initiative, then a formal training program in cucumber farming is not necessarily needed to progress to the next level. In fact, you can start your own cucumber farm without any formal experience in farming or business.
Now let us consider your start-up processes in steps:
Step 1: Conduct a feasibility study:
Before you start any business, a thorough background search and a study to determine its feasibility is important, and the same is true for any kind of vegetable farming in Nigeria . There are several breeds/varieties of cucumber that are specific and thrive best in a specific regions. Thus, before you start cucumber farming in Nigeria, you need to gather all of the necessary information in order to setup your farm at the right location, right time and the right cost.
Your feasibility study will help you understand the implications of starting your cucumber farm, including the required capital, your competitors and potential customers.
A feasibility study will also help you clearly identify what marketing methods to use to reach and attract customers once your crop is ready for harvest. One of the best things about choosing cucumber farming is that cucumbers can be grown throughout the year, provided you have a sufficient water supply available.
Step 2: Have a well structured business plan
While the average farmer may not pay enough attention to having a viable business plan, you should because it will give your cucumber farm the structure needed to ensure that you generate the profits that you have worked hard for.
A business plan is what you need to run your farm in an organised and structured manner. Also, if you do not have all the capital required to start your cucumber farm, with a solid and defined business plan, you will be in a better position to attract bank loans, private investors, or even government grants that are becoming widely available.
Even with sufficient capital, investors and extra capital generated through loans will help you set up a mechanised and subsequently more efficient farm.
Step 3: Find a suitable location for your farm
While the basic requirements for setting up a cucumber farm include a sufficient supply of water along with sunshine; that is not all you need to take care of. Cucumber best grows in humid soil.If you are working on a budget and want to save on operational costs, then choosing a farmland in a highly fertile and humid area will help you cut down on the costs.
The most ideal situation would be to secure farmland that is close to any waterbed. If you do not have a lot of knowledge about lands, then consulting with an expert before you start your cucumber farm would be wise. Since you are trying to produce cucumber on a commercial scale, it is essential that you cultivate it in the best conditions possible.
Step 4: Land preparation and cucumber planting
Once you have finalised and secured your land, you will need to prepare it before you begin planting seeds.
Land preparation is arguably the most crucial step in cucumber farming in Nigeria, and it is important that you pay the utmost attention to it. Some things that you must do as a part of preparing the land for the plantation includes:
Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
Clear all weed and grass in the land
Till the land
Apply fertilisers to the land, especially if you are not bent on organic farming
Dig holes in the land, each about 2.5 cm in depth for planting the seeds; with a space of 40 cm apart to allow for good growth
In order to make it easier for tractors and humans to pass through the land for purposes like watering and harvesting, you can prepare the land in columns and rows.
Types of cucumber seeds to use:
The most important factor that will determine the success of your cucumber farm is the seeds that you use. You need to determine the following:
Is it a local or a foreign seed?
Is it an open or a closed seed?
Again. is it a hybrid or General seed?
Good reason for seed choice is that their yield are not the same.
It is said that some seeds can produce as much as from 1 – 3 tonne of cucumber per hectare each harvest while others can produce 500 kg, 200 kg, and even as low as 50 kg.under the same agricultural conditions.
Another role that a seed plays is in deciding how long you can harvest. Some 3 – 5 times some 5-10 times while a select few can go 15-20 times before they wither. (Other factors contribute to how long harvest lasts)
Cucumber seeds are also very responsive to fertilisers, and you can use them together with organic manure. As they grow, you can nip off the tips of the main stems so that branching is encouraged.
From this you can see that the type of seed used is a vital factor in determining the direction of your cucumber farm.
Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
Step 5: Labour
If you are starting small with about one plot of land you can probably handle most of the labour yourself, and only hire people for difficult tasks such as making the beds. This will reduce your costs and increase your profits.
But if you start big or grow your business you will need to hire labour. Labour can sometimes be your biggest challenge so don’t take it lightly.
Step 6: Irrigation
As mentioned earlier, over 80% of cucumber composition is water, so the need for constant water is key.
Generally, Securing suitable land, good seed and a constant water supply are the most important parts of a successful cucumber farm. Your constant source of water could be a nearby stream or a sink borehole in the land. If you don’t have a constant source of water, your cucumber farm will not even survive past the first harvest. If your plants are not well watered, the primary effect is that the cucumber will taste bitter and that may about the sales, and the plants will soon wither and die.
Step 7: Harvesting
Cucumber fruits are harvested before they are mature, which varies between 1 and 2 weeks depending on when they flower. The time of first harvest is around 40 to 60 days after they have been sowed. This again varies as per the climate, and can be done either every other day or after a gap of few days.
Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
Step 8: Marketing
Like most businesses your initial marketing efforts will be time consuming, but once you have built momentum you will not struggle to sell your cucumbers.
Cucumbers can be sold in retail, wholesale, in a market near you, or in one of the many companies that specialise in cucumber processing. All you need do is to ensure that your cucumbers are green, and of high quality as big, attractive, fresh and juicy. So ensure that you have put in place high quality regulation for your cucumbers.
Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template
Cucumbers are in high demand, and as long as you inform local customers that you have harvested cucumbers from your own farm you will have them queuing to buy them.
With these steps religiously followed and sufficient investment resources in place, you should be able to realise the huge business potential of cucumber farming within few months! Good luck. Get marketing strategies here
To Be a Millionaire Cucumber farmer With a Free Business Plan Template, a bankable business plan is what you need to access your required funding. Completefmc develops all types, sizes and tenor length of business plan. Our business plan template for palm oil production, rice mill, block industry, distributive business, travel agency business and other service industry are unbeatable. Explore our Bankable Business Plan services offerings for fast growing lucrative profitable businesses today. Contact us on +234 8034347851 or [email protected] to get in touch with us.
Deacon Anekperechi Nworgu, a seasoned economist who transitioned into a chartered accountant, auditor, tax practitioner, and business consultant, brings with him a wealth of industry expertise spanning over 37 years.
