Economic Benefits Of Bitter kola Crop

INTRODUCTION

Bitter kola is one of the crops that its economic potential has been neglected over the years. It is a crop that has vast health benefits and industrial usage which creates the opportunity for its high demand. The farmers who engage in bitter kola farming have a good opportunity to make huge money from it because , bitter kola is an exportable crop. They earn in foreign currencies when they export the crop outside their borders. This makes it to contribute to the growth of national GDP.

In this article, I will be highlighting some the importance and economic benefits of the bitter kola Crop.

DESCRIPTION OF BITTER KOLA

Bitter kola is a flowering plant that grow well in a tropical western Africa. Every part of the is useful most especially in medicine; the seeds, the bark, the leaves. The outer layer covering the seed is red while the seed is brown. After the red layer is pilled off, the brown layer is further removed to get the main white seed that is eaten.

When the tree grows, it is about 12.5–14m long with branches that has leaves which forms a shade. The leaves are wide and dark green in color. There is the male and female species of the plant that bears flowers on differently when matured.

The Scientific Classification

The table below scientifically classifies bitter kola.

Scientific Name:	Garcinia kola

Family:	Clusiaceae

Kingdom:	Plantae

Species:	G. kola

Group order:	Malpighiales

Genus:	Garcinia

How bitter kola is planted

Bitter kola is planted in such a way you may not have heard about. In case you know it, good and if you have not , then here is how you may choose to plant it. A simple way to plant bitter kola is by using the plantain stem method. Just get the plantain stem and cut it long. Use the knife to cut it and then put the seeds along the cut plantain stem and leaves for over 50 days. On the number of over 50 days, it starts to germinate. As it starts germinate, transplant them to the nursery farm and keep constantly watering them. While watering them, Make sure that the land where they would be transferred to is ready for transplanting. Ensure that the soil is rich with needed nutrients and good air circulation. After two weeks in nursery farm, transplant them to the main site for a continuous enhancement. Ensure to continuously cut down the long branches as they grow. This will enable it grow well to produce more good fruits.

The economic importance of bitter kola

The economic importance of bitter kola is as follows:

• Medicinal product:
  There are medical insinuations that bitter kola helps in the treatment of maleria, boosts the immune system and treats sexual abnormalities. When it is used for this health conditions, it helps to reduce the cost burden that could have been incured to build health facilities for the people.

• Avenue for Government revenue:
  Cultivation of bitter kola could generate revenue for the government to fund its projects. When they are produced, they could be exported to other countries thereby generating revenue for the government. The revenge generated comes through tax payments made by the farmers who export the products to other countries as raw materials for the production of other goods.

• Creating employment
  Farmers of bitter kola generates employment through engaging those that takes care of the farm as farm guards. They also create employment by engaging the services of harvesters and Transporters. This goes a long way to enable them to take care of their families.

Conclusively, bitter kola farming is an aspect of Agriculture that the government should give serious attention to. Government should empower farmers of bitter kola because it is a revenue generating business.

I hope all farmers in this community would agree with me that cultivation of bitter kola is a very important Agriculture business that needs the support of everyone to grow the economy, improve health standards, and creates employment.