*CASTOR BEAN FARMING IN NIGERIA AND AFRICA*

Castor Bean–*

Castor bean plants, which are not beans at all, are commonly grown in the garden for their striking foliage as well as shade cover. Castor bean plants are stunning with their mammoth star-shaped leaves that can reach 3 feet in length. Learn more about this interesting plant as well as castor bean plantation as we proceed with the lecture.
Castor Bean Information

Castor bean plants (Ricinus communis) are native to the Ethiopian region of Africa but have been naturalized in warm climates all over the world. Commonly found in the wild along stream banks, riverbeds on low lying areas, this aggressive vine is the source of one of nature’s best natural oils, castor oil.

As far back as 4,000 B.C., castor beans have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The valuable oil from this tropical beauty was used thousands of years ago to light lamp wicks. Castor bean plantation businesses still exist today, though mainly in tropical regions.

Many varieties of ornamental castor beans are available and make a bold statement in any garden. In tropical regions, it grows as an evergreen shrub or tree that can reach 40 feet in height. In warm areas, this striking plant is grown as an annual. This plant can grow from seedling to a 10-foot tall plant by the end of the summer but will die back with the first frost. In USDA planting zone 9 and above, castor bean plants grow as perennials that look like small trees.
Planting Instructions for Castor Beans

Growing castor beans is extremely easy. Castor bean seeds start readily indoors and will grow very rapidly.

Castor plants like full sun and humid conditions. Provide loamy, moist, but not soaking wet, soil for best results.

Soak seeds overnight to aid with germination. In warmer areas, or once the soil can be worked and the threat of frost has passed, castor bean seeds can be sown directly into the garden.

Due to its large size, allow enough room for this fast-growing plant to expand.
Are Castor Beans Poisonous?

The toxicity of this plant is another important aspect of castor bean information. The use of castor bean plants in cultivation is discouraged because the seeds are extremely poisonous. The alluring seeds are tempting to young children. Therefore, growing castor beans in the home landscape is not a good idea if you have children or pets. It should be noted, however, that the toxins do not pass into the oil.
CASTOR PLANTS
21 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO INTO CASTOR FARMING.

1. Castor plant have many varieties .
   (2) Castor plant varieties varies in oil contents
2. Castor can do well on nominal lands not usually suitable again for other crops .
3. Castor can not do well on water waterlogged lands .
4. There are insects , pests , and viruses worrying castor plants but there are effective chemicals and organic pesticide suitable for protection , it cost more to be at the fightin side .
5. Castor oil price is over 300% higher than crude oil.
6. Nigeria has one of the best lands for castor plant in the whole world spread everywhere .
7. Growing a castor farm less than Two and half acres may not produce quantity of seeds needed to attract competitive buyers .
8. Consumption of unprocessed castor plants is dangerous to animals animals and humans .
   10.It is possible to have good harvest up to 2 tons per hectare at first year if farm is properly maintained .
9. A ton of castor sells between #350k to #550k depending price of naira to dollar exchange and the variety of castor .
10. Very tiny variety seeds are normally very rich in oil content but very difficult to shell .
11. Farmers may not be able to grow enough seeds for Nigeria factories and industrial consumption for the next 10 years because the benefits of castor oil is increasing everyday and scientists and engineers are using it for more newer products daily , currently there are over 150 products using castor .
12. In the next 3 years Nigerian industries and castor buyers may start to test oil contents of castor and pay farmer according to the richness of oil .
13. Year by year Researchers are still coming up with new varieties that are richer in oil .
14. Nigeria may top the list of castor producers in Africa in the next 8 years .
15. Farmers having up to 10 acres of castor farm needs sheller machine , it is tedious to shell castor manually . our local engineers could make one if guided .
16. Castor can be grown round the year with irrigation systems
17. There are perennial and there are annual castor plants .
18. You may sell your harvested seeds to Produce buyers , Commodity buyers or direct to industries .
    CASTOR PLANTING

Have u heard of CASTOR PLANT before

Castor bean is so important

The reason why your paints glossy is castor

Its a basic thing in our life.

Woman in labor need castor oil.

Even the cars we drive glows, thanks to castor( talking about the paint)

The shinny woodwork and furniture in you house. Castor is d secret.

Anything you see that is shinny has Castor oil in it.

Do you know that Electricity generating Companies need castor oil....unfortunately Power Holdings in Nigeria import castor oil for the transformers.

The money in castor is even more in production of its oil.
With a small machine. A castor oil producer can make 1 billion naira in a year

Crude castor oil could be sold to electricity company, textile industries, paint industries, Aviation industries.

Pharmaceutical industries to mention few . All this industries needs castor oil and presently they import the oil from India and china .

Pharmaceutical industries need organic castor bean oil to produce pain killers

The world consumption is high and production is too low

Castor is very rich in protein, but also very poisonous, because of the high Resin content.
Though the resin can be removed.

Facts that will marvel you

Castor is a 7 year plant. This means that one time investment will last for 7 good years....to me this is incredible.

A ton of castor bean sells for $1,500 USD as at now

If you plant castor on 2½ acres of land (1 hectare). You get 1 ton every 5 months for 7 years

This means you will harvest for about 15 times.

It starts producing as from d 5 month after planting.

It only need 4 rain, or watering to survive.

And that makes you a silent millionaire because people don't even know it when they see it.

The whites come to us to look for it

We don't have good castor seed in Nigeria but we have the best land for castor plant.

MG makes available good castor seed (finest quality of hybrids)

It is very high in raisin. That makes u not to worry about Fulani herdsmen, as they won't come close.

Amazingly, even animals know and recognise it more than human
Goats, cattle and birds don't go close.

This makes it totally safe.
Its seeds live in pods.

Castor is poisonous. So if you touch Castor, please do not forget to properly wash ur hands.

As we speak, The whole Nigerian production finishes within 2 hours @ Audu Ogbe's castor processing factory*.

If u have castor bean, they come begging.

Medicinal Uses*

Castor oil has many uses in medicine and other applications.

An alcoholic extract of the leaf was shown, in lab rats, to protect the liver from damage from certain poisons. Methanolic extracts of the leaves of Ricinus communis were used in antimicrobial testing against eight pathogenic bacteria in rats and showed antimicrobial properties. The extract was not toxic. The pericarp of Ricinus showed central nervous system effects in mice at low doses. At high doses mice quickly died. A water extract of the root bark showed analgesic activity in rats. Antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties were found in ethanolic extract of Ricinus communis root bark.

Other Uses

Extract of Ricinus communis exhibited acaricidal and insecticidal activities against the adult of Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann (Acarina Ixodidae) and hematophagous fly Hippobosca maculata Leach (Diptera Hippoboscidae).

The Bodo tribals of Bodoland, Assam (India), use the leaves of this plant to feed and rear the larvae of muga and endi silkworms.

Castor oil is an effective motor lubricant (Biodiesel) and has been used in internal combustion engines, including those of World War l airplanes, some racing cars and some model airplanes. It has historically been popular for lubricating two-stroke engines due to high resistance to heat compared to petroleum-based oils. It does not mix well with petroleum products, particularly at low temperatures, but mixes better with the methanol based fuels used in glow model engines. In total-loss-lubrication applications, it tends to leave carbon deposits and varnish within the engine. It has been largely replaced by synthetic oils that are more stable and less toxic.
Jewelry is often made of castor beans, particularly necklaces and bracelets.
Every other shiny/glossy thing glows because of Castor extract

Habit, Growth & Horticultural Uses

Although Ricinus communis is indigenous to the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa, and India, today it is widespread throughout tropical regions.[5] In areas with a suitable climate, castor establishes itself easily where it can become an invasive plant and can often be found on wasteland.

It is also used extensively as a decorative plant in parks and other public areas, particularly as a "dot plant" in traditional bedding schemes. If sown early, under glass, and kept at a temperature of around 20 °C (68 °F) until planted out, the castor oil plant can reach a height of 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) in a year. In areas prone to frost it is usually shorter, and grown as if it were an annual. However, it can grow well outdoors in cooler climates, at least in southern England, and the leaves do not appear to suffer frost damage in sheltered spots, where it remains evergreen.[citation needed] It was used in Edwardian times in the parks of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Although not cultivated there, the plant grows wild in Southern California, notably Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

It grows almost every part of Nigeria, even in the north where we have less rain falls and desert area . Yobe and jigawa state spent over 25 billion in the last 5 years planting castor alone to fight deserts , surprisingly our few factories producing castor oil are still less than 5 % production capacity for shortage of castor bean.

Cultivation

Selections have been made by breeders for use as ornamental plants (heights refer to plants grown as annuals) and for commercial production of castor oil.
Castor may not do well in water logged area . Unless the water is well drained*.
The money in castor is even more in production of its oil.
With a small machine . A castor oil producer can make 1 billion naira in a year

I sometimes weep for this country.

Selling crude castor oil to electricity company , textile industries, paint industries , Aviation industries . Pharmaceutical industries to mention few . All this industries needs castor oil and presently they import the oil from India and china .
50% India's and china's works and survived on castor farms and castor powered and related industries .
I wondered what our youth are doing on the streets .

The amazingly painful thing is that Nigeria has the best soil for this noble plant .
In my close to 10 years planting castor I have never used fertilizer.
Bad seed . It is better for beginner farmer to start with seedling already nursed not seeds .
We are working together for MGL to have seedling of the best variety of castor at the cheapest rate anywhere in Nigeria . Just register with MG and book your seedling early now We are arranging very big facility for castor nursery and gardening
Do you know that organic castor bean sell for very double price , it is plantable in south west of Nigeria and eastern part without stress . Pharmaceutical industries need organic castor bean oil to produce pain killers .
The world consumption is high and production is too low .
However lazy farmers can not make money fast on castor .
Every stage requires the farmers attention .
Castor is better planted when the rain starts and before the rain goes .
You space your plant 2.4meters apart.

Castor needs minimum of 4 serious rainfalls to survive , this is why it could do well also in northern Nigeria .

Next season is as soon as rain is steady , march and july preferably . So your seedling should be on ground by january february .
If properly managed castor can leave for 5 to 7 years.
The mystery is that you get as many young plants growing near the old ones every year as the rain begins . So you can quickly replace old ones transplanting the new seedlings .

Challenges in castor farming

1. FAST HEIGHT GROWTH. sometimes very common in very rich soil . Your castor grows very tall before first harvest . The solution is pruning. ( cutting the tall point to reasonable level .)

2. INSECTS ATTACK If you notice any insect eating castor leaves, use insecticide commonly used for beans or watermelon.

It is better to have castor farms close to each other . The advantage is that it will be easy to fight common cause .

Important Announcement. Monrole Global has a market on ground for Castor products*.

MG will assist professionally to see you grow the plants and also buy the produce from our members after harvesting

Also, a seedling goes for N80 (price subject to change per period).
You require 600 seedlings on 1 acre. This means that you require 1500 seedlings on 1 hectare.

A serious farmer is expected to break even and buy his or her own permanent farm land within 3 years no matter how .
We are working hard to have land in all 36 states of Nigeria, to ensure easy access
Having no permanent land is no longer an excuse this days in nigeria .

All we do is a well prepared court registered land lease agreement . If cotonou people could lease large land and farm successfully in nigeria , i wonder why we can not . Last year i meet an ivorian farmer in osun state he has 35 acres leased farm. He ride suv . He has been around that village for 10 years . He has two toyota dyna big pickups . He speaks yoruba fairly. He was bargained to marry their daughter he refused because of his faith . Most of the indigenous sons of that village are in lagos lamenting on bad economy . Nigerians are suffering because they like to be EVER COMFORTABLE . Thank God for ministries like MG . We need more .

Working and farming as a team allows each farmer to have individual farms on the same piece of land . The advantages are many and great .

Cost/ Benefit Analysis for 10 hectares of castor plant

Clearing of land: depends on ur negotiations (10,000 per acre is ok)

Heaping: depends on negotiations (150k is ok)

Pesticides: #3,200 × 24 = #76,800

Seedlings: 13,500 seedlings × #80 = #1,080,000

Total: #1,306,000+

Return on Investment

10 hectare will produce 10 ton every 5 months, that is 20 tonnes yearly for 7 years.

A ton sells for #420,000

Therefore, #420,000 × 20 = #8.4m yearly

#8.4m × 7 = #58,800,000

Total for 7yrs: #58,800,000