Dr Adeyemi of Baynakum read one of my Daily Trust columns titled “ How Tree Planting Saved a Retiree,” and sent in this comment: “Inspiring, as usual! What fruits would you recommend, that can fetch so much by the seasons? Are fruits profitable?”
To answer the sheikh, I recorded a voice note and sent it to his WhatsApp. After listening, he replied:
“MaashaAllah! Thank you very much, Prof! You just took me through a whole course in 4 minutes!
“The one of plantain and papaya are most appealing to me. Please let me know how or where I can get the seeds. I want to also educate others about this knowledge.”
The exchange with Dr Adeyemi motivated me to write a column about the subject seeing that many people are getting increasingly interested in tree planting. Following are the trees that will give you the quickest bang for your buck.
Papaya
Papaya or paw paw is one of the easiest and most profitable trees to plant. In other words, it’s less effortful and brings in a lot of profit when done right. Indeed many farmers plant it as a way to underwrite other farm expenses. Because it produces fruits within a year, the farmers use the proceeds from papaya to pay for labour and other expenses.
For example, while I’ve not started commercial production of papaya, it’s one of the fruits that I get to share with my neighbours, friends and guests every single year.
My boss, Uncle Musa, of ELC, said it’s his best fruit. He spends a lot of money regularly to buy papaya. One day, he asked me to come and plant papaya for him in his house. Now he eats from his own house. While he hasn’t stopped buying from the fruit sellers, having the plants in his house has reduced his cost of buying from outside. But that shows you how highly in demand the fruit is.
So how do you plant a papaya? for commercial production, you should plant at least 200 trees. The hole should be fairly deep. The depth should be two feet and the width should also be two feet. Mix one 4-gallon bucket of rabbit manure with one bucket of topsoil and backfill the hole before putting the papaya. If you can’t find rabbit droppings, use other well-decomposed manure. Water but don’t over water. The plant doesn’t like too much water and prefers a well-draining soil.
Profitability: Each tree will give you between 20 to 50 fruits. In the market, papaya now sells for between N1,000 to N1,500. If your trees give you an average of 35 fruits and you sell each for the wholesale price of N500, you’d make 17,500 per tree and N3.5 million for your 200 trees. That’s not bad for a tree that gives you fruits in eight months.
Of course, many argue that the papaya tree is not a tree that lasts as long as other perennials like mango and citrus trees. This is correct. From my experience, one should replace his papaya trees after three productions.
Indian Lemon
My wife likes to have her tea with lemon. So It’s from her that I get to hear the increasing price of the fruit. “Can you imagine how much I bought these few lemons?” She would complain. Indeed, many women use it in the kitchen. But If you want to be shocked, buy a kilo of lemons at a roadside fruit stand or Shoprite.
Indian lemon also produces fruits quickly. For example, a lady sourced a lemon seedling from my nursery and a few weeks later, she called to inform me that the tree was fruiting. This was less than three months. I was shocked.
As with papaya, you should plant 200 trees. And if you source your seedlings from a reliable source, you can start seeing fruits in as little as four months.
Plantain
Another tree that produces fruits quickly is plantain. It’s another plant that farmers use to pay for expenses on the farm. Another good thing about plantain is that you don’t need more than 100 seedlings to get a thousand suckers. It also gives you fruits within a year, usually eight months.
There’s one variety of plantain that I keep giving to my friends and family. It’s very long and has many ears. Plantain indeed needs water but it’s another plant that will survive the dry season until the rains return. In that way, it’s drought-resistant.
Because it’s stable in many households, growing plantain is very profitable. It requires less effort and less capital.
In conclusion, venturing into tree planting, particularly with the right choices like papaya, Indian lemon, and plantain, can not only enrich your environment but also your pockets. These trees offer a quick turnaround, providing fruits within a year or even just a few months, allowing you to recoup your investment and start generating significant income. Whether it’s the ease of cultivation, the high demand in the market, or the resilience to various environmental conditions, each of these trees presents a compelling opportunity for those looking to earn money while contributing to sustainable agriculture.
So, whether you’re a seasoned farmer or someone looking to diversify their income streams, consider planting these trees and watch as they bear fruit, both literally and figuratively, in your journey towards financial prosperity and environmental stewardship.
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