AdewebsHow to grow onions in Nigeria- One of the most consumed vegetables in the world and Africa today is onions. Onions are widely consumed for their medicinal advantage, it can also be used as spicy to prepare those lovely delicacies.
Many people have this notion in Nigeria that, Onions can only be cultivated in the northern part of the country owing to the fact that, this is where onions are mostly cultivated in Nigeria.
So, how do you plant or grow onions in Nigeria? To grow onions in Nigeria all you need do is get farmland, get a hybrid seed of onion, nurse the onions seed in the nursery for 10days, prepare a bed in your farmland, then start transplanting the seedlings to the beds in your farm.
We will get to write on how you can start planting onions anywhere in the part of Nigeria shortly.
How To Start Growing Onions In Nigeria
Following are the steps to take to start onion cultivation in Nigeria;
Step 1: Prepare the soil for Transplanting
First thing first, there are several ways to plant onions in Nigeria, you can do sack planting and you may plant directly on the beds you made on the farm.
We will be using farm beds in this guide.
Read Also: How To Start Sugarcane Farming In Nigeria [Step By Step Guide]
Clear the farmland
The first thing you need to do here is to clear your farm area. Clear the weed, shrubs, roots, and other unwanted plants on the farm.
Parked the grasses and gather in a place to set fire to it.
Spraying with Herbicides
After clearing your farmland and burning the bushes the next thing is spraying with fungicide, and herbicides, you may spray with systemic selective herbicides which can help control weeds for at least 3months in your farm area.
Make A Bed/low-ridges
The next thing is to make a bed for your onions to grow on.
To make the bed for your onions, you make a heap like ridges that are not too tall especially when it’s the dry season period.
Read Also: How To Start Vegetables Farming Business In Nigeria (Step by Step Guide)
Ensure the beds are short and closer to the floor to allow the seed to receive the little water it needed to grow.
Adding Manure or Poultry dung
After you are done with the bed, the next thing on soil preparation is to add manure to your beds to make your onions grow well and fast.
You can add fertilizer in the appropriate ratio and if you don’t have money for fertilizer, you may deploy the use of organic fertilizer.
Locate a Poultry in your area, collect the Poultry droppings, then add it to your beds on the farm at least 2 weeks before planting.
Step 2: Nurse Your Onions Seed
After you’re done with soil and farm preparation, the next thing is to nurse your onions, and to do that do the following;
Locate an agro store closer to you, buy a hybrid onions seed
After that, go to the furniture workshop around you or Sawmail closer to you, and collect the wood shavings locally known as sawdust.
You need to collect dried Poultry droppings also.
Mixed the wood shavings you collected with the dry Poultry droppings you collected and make it moist by adding little water.
- Then place this mixture on the nursery trail or the trough you have gotten to nurse the seed.
- Make a horizontal line with this mixture in form of ridges and space it like 2cm apart.
- Then sprinkle the hybrid seed you just procure from the agro store on this tray randomly and cover it with little sand.
- Start watering the tray morning and evening, and ensure you do not sprinkle water on the lines you spread the onions. This is because onions do not like plenty of water, all you need wet is the bottom of the line you made.
- Carry out this action for 10days. Most onions seedlings are viable and ready for transplanting after 10-15days maximum.
Step 3: Start Transplanting
The next thing is to start moving your onions to the bed you have prepared on the farm.
Take note, if you intend to harvest your onions when they are green, you will Plant the seedlings 1cm deep with no space close to one another on the bed.
But if you intend to harvest when it’s dry, then you plant 1cm deep then give a spacing of at least 2-3inches apart and about 10-12inches between a row.
Take note of temperature when nursing and after transplanting.
Planting Month Of Onions In Nigeria
Majorly Onions at grown two times a year, the first planting season is Between August and September and the late Planting is between November and December.
The August-September planting marks the Early Planting season when the rain is about to go and November-December marks the late planting when the rain is about to start.
Basic Care for Onions
Ensure you nurse under a temperature that ranges between 20-25C for optimal performance in the nursery. And a temperature between 15-30C after transplanting.
This is because a higher temperature is favorable for curing and bulbing.
Sand that doesn’t retain water for long is good for planting onions.
During the bulbing stage of Onions, ensure you supply adequate water quantities to the farm.
Avoid excessive water or logged water in your onions farm.
Do not apply Poultry droppings freshly to the farm bed to avoid onions bulb growing thick necks and excessive leaves.
Ensure you weed the bed regularly from unwanted weed or deploy the use of chemicals.
To prevent weeds, you may deploy the use of mulching to converse the soil fertility but sealing off underground weeds from accessing sunlight.
Ensure you spray your farm with fungicides to repel common onions diseases such as Fusarium and Sclerotium.
Common fungicides to use includes Milthane, Oshothane and Dithane can be used.
Spray farm against insects of onion with insecticides such as aphids, thrips, whiteflies, etc.
How Long Does It Take Onions To Grow In Nigeria?
Onions grow in a space of 90-120 days in Nigeria, that’s approximately 3-4months.
What Is The Best Month To Plant Onions?
Take note of temperature when nursing and after transplanting.
Majorly Onions at grown two times a year, the first planting season is Between August and September and the late Planting is between November and December.
The August-September planting marks the Early Planting season when the rain is about to go and November-December marks the late planting when the rain is about to start.
Is Onion Business Profitable In Nigeria?
Yes, onions are a lucrative and profitable farming business one can venture into in Nigeria.
Onions’ prices usually skyrocket during the dry season in Nigeria and it’s demand usually are high at this season.
How Much Is A Sack/Bag Of Onions In Nigeria?
A bag or sack of onion is sold for an average price of 20,000 nairas in the market today in Nigeria.
How To Farm Onions During Raining Season In Nigeria
The planting of onions during the rainy season in Nigeria is similar to the method used during the dry season with the difference in higher beds on the farm.
To plant onions during the rainy season, when making the bed to transplant the Onions too, ensure you raise the bed above normal ground level very well to allow water exit and avoid water logging in the bed.
Types/Breeds Of Onions In Nigeria
The following are types or species of onions in Nigeria
- White Onions
- Red Onions
- Yellow Onions
The commonly most grown onions in Nigeria are the White and Red Onions.
If a recipe specifies red or yellow onions, you might assume that any onions you have will work, but this is not the case. You must use the specific onions specified in the recipe. A certain variety of onions is called for in a recipe, and that exact variety of onions is used!
The flavor and texture of red, yellow, and white onions are all slightly different. First, how do you know which onions to buy at the grocery store?
As for onions, go for ones that feel hefty and substantial in your hands when you’re shopping. In general, avoid onions that are soft to the touch or have an unpleasant odor before peeling. With the exception of sweet onions, which can be kept in a dark, cool pantry for several weeks.
Conclusion
So, if you have the intention to start onion farming in Nigeria as a newbie, this is a complete guide on how to start growing onions in Nigeria, and all you need to know. You can drop your comments via the comment section to ask about any unclear areas of this content.
thanks for the enlightenment and guide,very encouraging
My pleasure