Plantain farming is undoubtedly a profitable venture in the country. However, despite the increasing demand and growing number of consumers, farmers are still missing on the profitability of the agribusiness. This is attributed to poor production practices, planting the wrong suckers, and lack of knowledge on how to do everything right. A simple mistake significantly impacts the yields. It can be pretty disappointing to plant healthy, vigorous suckers with a high yield potential only for them to underperform and produce smaller fruits and a few plantain hands. These will not be marketable and will sell and relatively low prices in the local market. This translates to poor income for farmers.

  • Planting Plantain Bananas

Suckers should be planted immediately after field preparation. It's better to plant during the rainy season to minimize cases of water stress. Ensure that the plants receive enough water during the first three or four months. Planting late in the rainy season means more water stress as the plants need to be kept under irrigation throughout the establishment period.

  • What Mistakes Do Plantain Banana Beginner Farmers Make?

Here are common mistakes that farmers make when venturing into plantain farming. Check them out!

  • Buying Unhealthy Suckers

If you want to lose your money faster, plant unhealthy suckers. These are infested by pathogens, nematodes, weevils, and diseases. You already know what will happen when you plant them! A full orchard full of poorly performing plantain and increased management costs. Besides, this will cause stunted growth and small-size fruiting. Well, you need to ensure that you purchase healthy, well-treated, disease-free plantain suckers from reliable, certified nurseries. OxfarmAg is there to provide you with plantain suckers.

  • Planting In Infected Lands

At times, the problem is not always on the suckers. And no matter how healthy they are, they will still not flourish as expected. You will be wondering why you are experiencing poor plant performance and growth and where you went wrong. The answer lies in your land. The soil is either infected with fungi or nematodes, or the pH is not ideal for plantain. Suckers planted in such soils will be heavily infected. It's important to conduct a soil test first to understand your soil conditions. This way, you will have a chance to treat your soil on time.

  • Over-expecting

Expecting to harvest 100% from your plants can also be a mistake. It's nearly practically impossible. The truth is no farmer has ever had a 100% harvest from the plants at once. You will need to be patient as the plants may take up to 15 months to mature. Don't over-expect in the first year.

  • Failing To Control Pests and Diseases on Time

Like in other plants, incidences of pests and diseases are common in the plantain. They are attacked by pests like banana aphids, banana weevils, scales, and leaf-scarring beetles. They are prone to diseases like Fusarium wilt, anthracnose, black Sigatoka, crown rot, and banana leaf rust.

To keep your plants healthy, you need to combat pests and diseases on time. Employ integrated pest management control pest management practices.

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