Facts about Agro Food Suppliers
Farming began around 10,000 B.C. during the First Agricultural Revolution, when nomadic tribes began to farm.
We are a registered Agro firm located in Cameroon, Our products are shipped straight from the source
There are a few a key differences between our company and other suppliers :
1) Your Plantain are shipped straight from the source. Other suppliers not based in tropical environments have to import and then stockpile Plantains in their warehouses.
2) We take our business seriously and respond to our emails daily
3) We also assist our clients, companies industries to acquire farmlands in Africa for large scale production in any either in cocoa coffee rubber any crop of your choice
Contact ASAP if interested so that we proceed and build up long term business
PLANTAIN CULTIVATION AND MARKETING
It is estimated that about 70 million people in West and Central Africa derive more than 25% of their carbohydrates from plantains, making them one of the most important sources of food energy throughout the African lowland humid forest zone (Swennen, 1990). Cameroon is the largest plantain producing country in Central Africa sub region (FAO, 2006). In our plantation, we worked with our agronomist and today we have the largest plantain farm in the east region and we are still expanding to meet local and international demands. These are the stages we took to make our farms unique as seen below.
ACQUISITION OF LAND
The best soils for plantain are loamy soils because they are rich in organic materials such as decaying plants and insects which provides the soil air, nutrients and water-retaining matter. When these nutrients are combined with mineral particles, it makes the soil loose and fertile. In the east region of Cameroon, the soil is loamy with rich organic materials and mineral particles making it possible for plantains to thrive for more than five years as compared to other areas.
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| Clearing of farm land |
PREPARING THE FIELD
Clearing of the Forest
The entire land acquired was manually cleared and small tress cut to ensure minimum disturbance to the soil. Some of the trees were left so as to provide natural shelter for the plantain against excessive sun as well as to enhance the humidity of the soil.
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| Cleared forest before the felling of trees |
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| Felling of tress in the forest |
SELECTING PLANTAIN VARIETIES
Most farmers in the region just plant any suckers they can lay their hands on but in our farm we decided to plant both the Giant French variety and the False Horn. This was to enable us to comfortably handle demands from both varieties in the markets.
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Giant French plantain developing
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SPACING
The recommended spacing is 3m between the plantain rows and 2m within the row. In our farms we made a 3m x 3m spacing because the French variety is so tall and the leaves are longer than other varieties. Given this spacing, a hectare in our farms took 1112 suckers and the entire 50 hectares took 55,600 suckers.
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| Digging of holes respecting 3m x 3m |
SUCKERS ACQUISITION AND PREPARATION
Local farmers supplied both Giant French and False Horn suckers which were detached from the mother plant when they have attained a height of about 20cm. The suckers were cleaned until the bottom (corm) was completely white to ensure that they were not contaminated by any insect or nematodes. Suckers cleaning were carried out in the field where the planting material was collected in order to avoid contamination of the new farm with nematodes or corms with stem borers. These treated suckers were classed and carefully arranged in the farm for about two days in a shaded place before they were planted in the farm.
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Cleaning of suckers
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| Suckers classed in a shaded place before planting |
PLANTING
Holes were dug with an average size of 25cm x 25cm x 25cm. This hole size was to ensure that the suckers sit well in the hole and also reduced the chances of tipping over when the plant is mature. The planting of plantain is a very simple process especially when the holes are of the required specifications as seen below. The suckers were placed in the hole with its corm first covered with the top soil and later with the bottom soil. The opposite side of the suckers’ corm was placed towards the middle of the plant hole where the soil was loose
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| Holes with required dimension |
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Planting of suckers
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| Emergence of suckers after planting |
CONTROLLING WEEDS
Weed infestation declines when the canopy is fully established as a result of the shade. Grass derives their nutrients from the same level of the soil as the plantains and they are removed chemically and manually to ensure the proper growth of the plantain. In our farms we control weed manually because it is cheaper and the most convenient method for the workers
MULCHING
Mulching it stimulates root development, improves soil drainage, decreases soil temperature fluctuations, and increases soil porosity and biological life. To compensate for continuous decrease in the amount of organic matter, the farm is mulched by workers to protect the topsoil against heavy rainfall and intense sun- shine as seen below.
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| Mulched plantain farm |
HARVESTING
Care is always taken to ensure that the bunch does not drop on the ground when the main plant is cut. The whole of the pseudo stem and foliage of the main plant was chopped and spread over the soil as mulch and to prevent weevils from multiplying in the intact pseudo stem.
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| Harvested False horn ready for market |
