Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria

Having discussed the definition and the general overview of Agribusiness in the last article, we astressed that Agribusiness is a combination of two words (Agriculture and Business) meaning it includes enterprises relating to Agriculture. Today we would take a leap further by considering each state and predominant Agribusiness common to them. First is Ondo State.

General Overview of Ondo State

It was created in 1976 from the then western region with a capital known as Akure, it is h is located in the south-west geopolitical zone of Nigeria with 18 local government areas which includes Akoko-Northeast, Akoko-Northwest, Akoko-Southwest, Akoko-Southeast, Akure-South, Akure-North, Ese-Odo, Idanre, Ifedore, Ilaje, Ile-Oluji, Irele, Odigbo, Okitipupa, Ondo West, Ondo East, Ose, and Owo.

Ondo state spans through a land area of 14,793 square kilometres with population of 3,441,024 people as at the last census, many of which are inhabitants of urban areas of Ondo State. It is bounded in the North by Ekiti and Kogi States, in the East by Edo State, in the west by Osun and Ogun states and in the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state has rivers, creeks and lakes due to proximity to the ocean, many of the predominant rivers are Ala, Oni, Ose, and others. The climate is that of Tropical Rain Forest type, with distinct wet and dry seasons. The tropical climate of the state is broadly divided into two: Dry season (Harmattan season) and Raining season. The annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm in the southern areas to 1,150mm in the northern areas.

  • In the south, the mean monthly temperature is 27 degree Celsius, with mean relative humidity of over seventy five percent. The older sand ridge develops brown and orange sandy soils, while the most recent ones near the coast have light grey sandy soils.
  • In the northern part of the state, the mean monthly temperature and its range are about 30 degree Celsius. The mean monthly relative humidity is less than seventy percent. Soils here are skeletal in nature and are of comparatively recent origin.

Ondo State is blessed with lot of Agribusiness Potentials like cocoa, cashew, oil palm, cassava, plantain, wood felling, etc.

  1. Cassava: Since the entry of His Excellency Rotimi Akeredolu into office, he has taken the issue of Agriculture as a tool for poverty Alleviation. Through the Cassave to Ethanol which is aimed at providing value to cassava other than Garri, lafun and cassava flour which are utilized in breads and cakes. the project is undertaken through partnership the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. NNPC alongside with the Federal Government in order to offer one million jobs for the citizens of Ondo state and other indigenes living within and outside the State. The project aims to achieve employment to the public through farming schemes and processing, they have started by considering 2,434 cassava farmers.
  2. Plantains/Banana: Plantain cultivation is commonly grown in remote areas of Ondo state like Akoko, Ore, Ondo, Owo, Okikitupa, Ilaje etc., it is cultivated among family members. The climatic conditions of Ondo State support plantain and banana growth, once they are grown, they are consumed fresh by boiling/frying into chips or dried into flour for human consumption, goats feed on the peels also. Agribusiness you can take advantage of is buying its in bulk and selling in urban areas or processing plantains into dried chips that can be used in flour production used in cake, bread, amala, plantain cake.
  3. Cocoa:  Nigeria is the fourth leading producer of cocoa in the world, while Ondo State is the largest producer of cocoa in Nigeria. Cocoa is the main agricultural export after petroleum, commanding huge income on the international market. In boosting and restoring the fortune in Ondo State, Gov. Akeredolu distributed 450,000 improved and quality cocoa seedlings to farmers in the state that within 18 to 24month, it would have matured for harvest instead of the normal three years. The hybrid will bring great relieve to farmers, great investment to the state and more revenue to the purse of the state. Many different sorts of products can be derived from cocoa.

The husks of cocoa pods and the pulp, or sweating’s, surrounding the beans and the cocoa bean shells can be used. Some examples of these uses are:

  1. Animal feed from cocoa husk,
  2. Production of soft drinks and alcohol.
  3. Potash from cocoa pod husk can be used for soft soap manufacture, it may also be used as fertilizer for cocoa, vegetables, and food crops.
  4. Jam and marmalade – Pectin for jam and marmalade is extracted from the sweating’s. Once the beans have been fermented and dried, they can be processed to produce a variety of products.
  5. Other products include:
  6. Cocoa butter – Cocoa butter is used in the manufacture of chocolate. It is also widely used in cosmetic products such as moisturizing creams and soaps.
  7. Cocoa powder – Cocoa powder can be used as an ingredient in almost any foodstuff. For example, it is used in chocolate flavoured drinks, chocolate flavoured desserts such as ice cream and mousse, chocolate spreads and sauces, and cakes and biscuits.
  8. Cocoa liquor – Cocoa liquor is used, with other ingredients, to produce chocolate. Chocolate is used as a product on its own or combined with other ingredients to form confectionery products.
  9. Oil Palm: In Ondo places like Owena, Okikitipupa, Akoko, Ore, Oil palm are prevalent there. These has drawn four (4) companies to work on a minimum of 10,000 hectares of oil palm farmland in the State with Over 5,000 youth a been trained to drive the Ondo State Agricultural value chain. Botanical name is called Elaeis guineensis, it’s an economical important African tree  belonging to the palm family Arecaceae cultivated for its rich oil content. Palm oil, obtained from the fruits, is used in making soaps, cosmetics, candles, biofuels, and lubricating greases and in processing tinplate and coating iron plates. Palm kernel oil, from the seeds, is used in manufacturing such edible products as margarine, ice cream, chocolate confections, cookies, and bread, as well as many pharmaceuticals. The cake residue after kernel oil is extracted is used as feed for ruminant animals. The plant is also grown as an ornamental in many subtropical areas.
  • Wood Felling
  • Seafoods and Fish Products

With these explanations in this article, you can conclude and evaluate ways by which you can tap into the abounding Opportunities Agribusiness in Ondo State presents. Kindly share and comment.

Leave A Comment

Select the fields to be shown. Others will be hidden. Drag and drop to rearrange the order.
  • Image
  • SKU
  • Rating
  • Price
  • Stock
  • Availability
  • Add to cart
  • Description
  • Content
  • Weight
  • Dimensions
  • Additional information
Click outside to hide the comparison bar
Compare