Fruit farming is a lucrative business to venture into. It is beneficial either for commercial purposes or for personal consumption. Everyone eats fruits, which are used for food and drink production, so you can be sure that consumers are always ready for your supply. As appealing as this sounds to the ears, having a fruit farm business is not so easy. If not done the right way, you may not enjoy the best of it.
Hence, this article provides expert tips to make you successful in fruit farming.
- Stick With A Particular Fruit
There are numerous species of fruit worldwide. However, it’s preferable to focus on a single kind of fruit because it’s simpler to understand how to grow one variety as opposed to several, especially when you’re just starting. Your choice of fruit could be determined by what is often consumed in your area or the one you are passionate about. It is possible, however, that the one you are passionate about does not thrive well in your kind of soil or climate. So, to determine which fruit you should specialize in, you should ask some reputable fruit growers to help you get some ideas for your farm.
You can also do a survey around your market and see what kind of fruits people often demand. Can the requirements for growing this fruit be met? Will it yield any profit? Is it prone to diseases? Are there risks attached to growing this fruit? These are a few questions you should answer to guide you to the best choice of fruit for your farm business.
- Get A Good Farmland
You are only ready for fruit farming when you have good farmland. This is often considered the most important element in any fruit farming venture as your choice of land would go a long way in determining your success. However, you shouldn’t just choose a land randomly. You must ensure that the soil type and composition are best for your chosen fruit. Again, this says a lot about how successful you will be.
On a general note, your soil should be fertile and composed of the necessary minerals needed for plant growth. The land should come in suitable topography, have enough exposure to sunlight, must have the best pH for the growth of your plant, and adequate access to water. These are non-negotiable when selecting land for your fruit farming.
- Take Preventive Measures To Diseases And Pests
It is often said that prevention is better than cure. This should be your disposition in your fruit farming venture. Just as pests and diseases attack every other crop, they do so with fruits. Therefore, you need to take measures to prevent their attack. Waiting for the pests and diseases to surface before you manage them will only lead to losses. So, it’s best to get the appropriate pesticides and fungicides to curtail possible infection of the soil or invasion of pests.
Even after taking preventive measures, you should still be watchful and observant to notice any invasion or infection and deal with them at the early stages. Pests and disease attacks usually lead to massive loss of money that will affect the success of your output.
- Have A Target Market In Mind
Fruits are one of the hardest things to preserve in their natural forms. Hence you have to take quick steps to ensure that they are almost immediately harvested. Don’t wait till the fruits are matured before you start looking for those that will buy them. Use the season of waiting to source for existing and new customers that would buy them from you. This way, you can get it across to them immediately after harvest.
Everyone wants to eat or sell fresh fruits. When your fruits are almost about to spoil, less people will want to buy them, which will lower their value.
- Harvest And Store In The Right Conditions
Fruits may be quite fragile; hence, they must be handled carefully. Fruits are harvested when they are fully ripe, but different fruits exhibit distinct signs of maturity at different times. Generally, they assume their full size and natural color and have glossy and firm rinds when they’re ready to be harvested. At this stage, they should be picked using the right techniques.
In addition, they should be stored at the optimal temperature if they need to be stored at all. However, they shouldn’t be stored too long as they perish quickly. This is an important thing to note to prevent losses in your farm.
Conclusion
Fruit farming requires a lot of attention and effort, which will yield good returns when put in the right way. These tips will help you to have a high turnout of healthy fruits from your farm every season.