The world survives because there are food that sustains man. These food are gotten from the Agriculture input made in the farm.
Maize or corn is one of the farm produce that go beyond planted to be consumed as food only. Beyond being used as food, it has multiple industrial usage as a raw meterial in high demand. This makes it a profitable Agriculture business venture anyone can easily go in.
As a farmer, producing corn in a commercial quantity requires having to put a lot things in place. The resources having large plots of land for cultivation, machines for mechanized farming and laborers who will be paid for carrying out different services such as planting, weeding, harvesting and transportation. This really show that for one to go commercial production, adequate preparation has to be made.
Scientifically, corn is classified as shown in the table below:
| Kingdom | Plantae |
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| Family | Poaceae |
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| Order | poales |
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| Genus: | Zea |
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| Binomial: | Zea Mays |
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MAIN CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAIZE FARMING
Maize farming should not be carelessly planned. It should be thoughtfully and carefully planned in order to get the expected output. So for this, the following should be considered when going into maize farming:
Look out for the proper land and soil for planting
Clear the land and prepare it for planting
Understand the your region's maize farming season
Have your organic or inorganic fertilizers
The disease and pest control measures
Weeding
Harvest and post harvests
THE CORN PLANT
Corn is an annual crop planted and grown on a yearly basis. In some regions where the government gives adequate attention to farming and mechanized farming encouraged, it it could have all season planting and harvesting.
PLANTING SEASON
Corn planting season varies from region to region. In sub-saharan African countries like Nigeria, planting starts in eastern part when the rain starts. Due to the climate change, the rain starts sometimes late March or at the middle of April. This time, the soil is now wet for planting to take place. The planting could be done by hand or using machine if it is commercial. While planting, it is necessary to make enough space between the plants. The spacing between planting could be 75 by 50cm or 50 by 20 cm for very large farmlands; then for small farmlands, it could have 25 by 20cm spacing.
The growth stages of maize plant
The maize plant has a tall stem that sprouts two long but narrow leaves. The leaves spread both from the right and left side directions. The maize undergo different stages till it gets to maturity when it would be harvested. The growth stages are outlined below:
The shoot stage
The leaf stage
Tassel stage
The silking stage
The blistering stage.
** The milk stage**
The doughing stage
The denting stage
Full maturity
These are the stages that the maize plant passes through before getting to maturity.
The corn or maize farming has contributed hugely to the economy of many nations. From June to November, prices corn reduces as farmers will be harvesting the farm produce. The makes the prices of the commodity to fall as there will be much supply in the market. From November to June next year, prices will increase as there will be shortage of supply of the commodity. Below are the prices of corn at which it could be sold and its values in dollars. This translates to its contribution to economic growth in Nigeria.
| Corn quantity | Amount in naira (N) | Amount in dollars($) | Exchange rate $/1,600 |
|---|
| 1 ton of corn | N600,000 | $375 |
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| 10 Tons of corn | N6,000,000 | $3,750 |
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| 50 Tons of corn | N30,000,000 | $18,750 |
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| 100 Tons of corn | N60,000,000 | $37,500 |
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| 200 Tons of corn | N120,000,000 | $75,000 |
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From the figures above, when the commodity is exported, it will generate a income for the country to be used for infrastructural development.
Farm corn
Eat corn
Sell corn