Tropical fruit farming is one of the best ways to make money from small land holdings. They are easy to maintain and have a high yield per acre. There are many types of tropical fruits that can be grown in Africa with excellent results, depending on your location. In this article, we are going to explore how to make money from tropical fruits farming in Africa.
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What is a Tropical Fruit?
Tropical fruits are any edible fruit that is grown in tropical areas. Popular examples of tropical fruits include orange, banana, mango, grapes, guava, lemon, pineapple, watermelon, papaya, coconut, fig, avocado, star apple, breadfruit, passion fruit, dragon fruit, cherry, tamarind, cashew, jackfruit, etc.,
How to Make Money from Tropical fruits farming in Africa
Before thinking of how to make money from tropical fruits farming in Africa, you should have a farm. Growing and maintaining a money making tropical fruit farm can take from 3 months (for tropical crops like water melon) to more than 5 years (for tropical crops like mango) depending on the type of tropical fruit you decide to grow.
It is important to do some research on which varieties grow well in your area and sell well locally. With the right combination of preparation and business acumen, you can use tropical fruit farming as a means to begin a profitable side business while also expanding your acreage at the same time.
Here is how to make money from tropical fruits farming in Africa:
1. Sell your farm produce to grocery stores
If you are farming different types of tropical fruits, you may want to approach your local grocery store to see if they are interested in buying them from you. The added advantage of selling to stores is that your products will be fresh, as they will not have to travel as far as they would if they were going to other countries.
Produce that is sold at grocery stores is also often more expensive than produce sold in other places. If you can supply a steady stream of produce to your local store, you can probably make a higher profit per item than you would by selling the same produce at a roadside stall or at a fresh produce market.
This is especially true if you grow genuinely exotic fruits that are not normally grown in the area. If you have an unusual variety of a popular fruit, you may be able to get a higher price per item.
2. Set up a roadside stall
Another popular way on how to make money from tropical fruits farming in Africa is setting up a roadside stall.
If you have a reliable source of high-quality local tropical fruits, you may want to consider setting up a roadside stall in key urban areas to sell directly to passing customers. Some of the tropical fruits listed above, such as avocados and bananas, are easy to sell at a roadside stall because they are self-contained and don’t require any washing or packaging.
You may have to do a bit of research on which varieties are more profitable in your area, but many people like to buy fruits like bananas, pineapples, etc., while going home or going for a visit. Because of their high nutritional value, you can leverage this demand and sell these fruits on your roadside stall.
3. Sell Excess Produce to Local Markets
Another great way to make money from tropical fruits farming is to sell excess produce to local markets. Depending on what types of tropical fruits you grow, you may have a large surplus of fresh produce during certain times of the year. You may find it easier to sell this produce to local markets rather than to grocery stores.
Depending on your location, you may have easy access to local markets where you can sell your produce. If you have a glut of produce, you can sell it to these markets for a profit. They often buy locally grown produce, and many of them have several of these markets in a small geographic area.
Some of these markets even have special days or times when they buy produce. In many areas, they buy tropical fruits such as mangoes, papayas, passion fruits, and avocados, as well as other seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Read: How to Start a Mushroom Farming Business in Africa
4. Grow and sell fresh produce to wholesale suppliers
Wholesale suppliers buy large quantities of produce from small farmers and resell it to other markets and grocery stores. If you have a large enough harvest, you may be able to sell some to a wholesale supplier for a fair price.
If you want to sell your tropical fruits to wholesale suppliers, you may want to take the time to select the best varieties to grow. You will probably want to grow common tropical fruits such as soursops, avocados, or melons. You will also have to grow larger quantities of produce for it to be worth the time of wholesalers.
While this route is a bit more difficult than selling to other markets, it is also a bit more lucrative. You may have to go through a process to get on the supplier’s list, but once you’re on there, you can make a decent amount of money off of a single harvest each year.
5. Grow and sell fresh produce for export
If you have the space and the right varieties, you can earn quite a bit by growing tropical fruits for export. The worldwide demand for fresh produce is high, and depending on which varieties you grow, you can sell them for a substantial amount, sometimes even higher than the price at which you could sell them to local markets or local wholesale suppliers.
Like with the wholesale supplier, you may have to go through a screening process to see if you can be on their list of approved growers for global importers. However, once you are, you can sell your harvest for a very high price, sometimes even higher than the price at which you could sell them domestically. This is because the export price is often based on the cost of production, whereas the domestic price is based on demand.
6. Harvesting and selling raw materials
Depending on the types of tropical fruits that grow well in your area, you may be able to harvest the leaves and other parts of the plants and sell them. For example, if you have a large avocado tree, you can harvest the leaves and bark for essential oils used in treating hair.
You can also harvest the pods of certain fruits, such as cocoa, to use in producing chocolates or other derivatives. You can sell these raw materials to local or online contractors who use them in various products such as soaps and candles.
7. Open a Fruit Juice/ Smoothie Spot
Another great way to make money from tropical fruits farming is by opening a fruit juice or a smoothie spot. You can start small by buying some basic blenders, setting up a corner shop and advertising your business in your locality. There are a lot of health benefit from fruit juice/smoothie. To be successful in this business location matters, popular location can be opening your shop close to a busy hospital, school, Car park or construction site.
In the long run, you can think of starting your own fruit juice brand that can be sold nationally or even exported internationally.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the ways you can make money from tropical fruit farming. If you have a large plot of land that can produce lots of these fruits, you can make a sizeable income from them.