Complete Farmer's Manual

Oil Palm
Plantation
Nigeria

25 years of income. Two oils from every bunch. Harvest every 10 days. The complete guide to building a profitable oil palm estate in Ogun State and Oyo State.

Buy Manual → See Harvest Guide
25+
Years productive
Yr 3
First harvest
10–14
Days per cycle
2024 verified price · NIFOR data

N1.2M – N2.5M per tonne

Palm oil prices rose 101% in Nigeria in 2024 alone. Lean season (Nov–Jan) peaks are 60–80% above April lows.

Dual product advantage

Two oils. One bunch.

Every Fresh Fruit Bunch yields Crude Palm Oil from the mesocarp AND Palm Kernel Oil from the seed. Two separate income streams from a single harvest.

Ogun · Oyo · South-West Nigeria

Land available now

Focal Point Property Development has suitable land in both states. For land purchase enquiries, WhatsApp 08156901392.

"Nigeria was the world's number one palm oil producer. We import 1.5 million tonnes a year now. Every tonne is your opportunity."

Land Purchase Enquiries (WhatsApp) →
What you are growing

Two oils from
one fruit

The cross-section below shows exactly where your money comes from. Understanding the anatomy of the oil palm fruit is the foundation of every profitable management decision.

Oil palm fruit cross-section
Orange layer = Mesocarp (CPO)
White centre = Kernel (PKO)
Dark shell = Endocarp
🟠

Crude Palm Oil (CPO)

Pressed from the thick orange-red mesocarp (soft pulp) you see in the photo. Deep red colour from exceptionally high beta-carotene content. Used in cooking, food processing, soap, cosmetics, and biodiesel. The world's most consumed vegetable oil.

⚪

Palm Kernel Oil (PKO)

Extracted from the white kernel inside the hard shell. A completely different oil — similar to coconut oil in composition. Used in confectionery, soap, cosmetics, and industrial applications. Commands a separate premium price.

📊

Oil extraction rate — everything

Tenera hybrid: 22–25% oil from bunch weight. Wild Dura: 10–15%. That difference — the thickness of the mesocarp — is the difference between a profitable farm and a wasted 25 years. The manual covers this in full.

🌍

Present in 50% of all products

Palm oil is found in roughly half of all packaged supermarket products worldwide — margarine, biscuits, chocolate, shampoo, soap, lipstick, biodiesel. Your harvest enters a market with virtually unlimited global demand.

Planting material

The variety decision
defines everything

Most failed oil palm farms in Nigeria share one root cause — the wrong variety. This choice determines your income for 25 years. Make it correctly, once.

Oil palm seedling

Tenera ★

PLANT THIS

Hybrid of Dura × Pisifera. Thin shell (0.5–3mm), very thick orange mesocarp. Oil extraction rate 22–25%. This is the cross-section you see above — that thick orange layer is what separates Tenera from everything else.

22–25% oil extraction 15–18 t FFB/ha/yr NIFOR certified Disease resistant

Dura

AVOID

Wild type. Thick shell, thin mesocarp. Only 10–15% oil extraction. This is what roadside sellers give you. Planting Dura means earning half the income from the same trees for 25 years.

10–15% oil extraction Half the income Roadside sellers

NIFOR HYT — Top Pick

RECOMMENDED

NIFOR High Yielding Tenera — the top recommendation for Nigerian conditions. Adapted to Ogun and Oyo State soils and rainfall. Order 12–15 months in advance from NIFOR Iyanomo, Benin City or your state ADP.

15–18 t FFB/ha/yr NIFOR Benin City Ogun/Oyo adapted
Nursery & planting

From germinated seed
to field-ready seedling

The nursery stage lasts 12–15 months. What happens here determines the productivity of every tree for the next 25 years. Get it right.

Oil palm nursery polybag rows
Pre-nursery seedling root system
01

Pre-nursery (Months 1–3)

Plant germinated nuts in small black polybags (18cm × 23cm) at 2–2.5cm depth. Orientation is critical — radicle DOWN, plumule UP. A reversed seed creates a permanently stunted tree.

Radicle down · plumule up · always
02

Main nursery (Months 3–15)

Transfer to large bags (40cm × 35cm) at 60–90cm spacing. Gradually increase sun exposure from Month 6. Seedlings are ready at 1m tall with 12–15 healthy leaves.

12–15 months · 1m tall · 12+ leaves
03

Fertilizing the nursery

Month 2 and Month 5: 150kg ammonium phosphate + 75kg potassium chloride per hectare of nursery. Monthly from Month 4: dilute NPK 15:15:15 foliar spray.

Feed at Month 2 · Month 5 · Monthly
04

Selecting for transplanting

Only the tallest, most vigorous, most upright seedlings go to the field. Discard any with bent stems, frizzled or narrow leaves, or discolouration. A weak seedling becomes a weak tree that underperforms for 25 years.

Best 85% only · discard the weakest
05

Field planting

Plant at onset of rains (March–May). Root ball top must be exactly level with soil surface — no hollow, no mound. Wire netting around every seedling for 18 months. Mulch 20cm thick, 30–40cm from stem.

March–May · wire netting 18 months
Planting layout

143 trees per
hectare

Spacing determines whether your trees compete with each other or thrive together. The 9m equilateral triangular pattern is the internationally proven optimal layout.

143

Trees per hectare at 9m triangular spacing

9m

Between trees in all directions — equilateral triangle

N–S

Rows run North–South for maximum sunlight

60cm³

Planting hole size — invert soil layers when refilling

Oil palm triangular spacing diagram
Fresh Fruit Bunches oil palm

"When 5–10 fruits drop to the ground and the outer fruits glow orange-red — that is your signal. Cut now. Wait and you lose profit."

Fresh Fruit Bunch · Harvest Timing · Ogun State
Harvesting system

Every 10–14 days
for 25 years

Oil palm is the only major tree crop that harvests year-round with no dry season rest. From Year 3, you have a recurring income cycle every fortnight, indefinitely.

Ripe oil palm fresh fruit bunches

Perfect ripeness — 5–10 loose fruits on ground

Deep orange-red outer fruits · oil seeps when pressed · cut immediately

Ripeness identification guide

Harvest now ✓

5–10 fruits have dropped spontaneously to the ground. Outer fruits are deep orange-red. Pressing a fruit releases orange-red oil. This is your window — cut today.

Not ready — wait

No loose fruits on the ground. Fruits still green, yellow-green, or pale. Under-ripe bunches yield less oil per tonne and the mill pays significantly less.

Too late — over-ripe

More than 15–20 fruits on the ground. Oil in the mesocarp breaks down — Free Fatty Acid (FFA) rises sharply. High FFA means lower mill payment or full rejection.

Harvesting tools by tree age

🔪

Years 3–7

Chisel — slip between stem and frond base, cut without damaging the frond below

🗡️

Years 7–12

Long-handled machete — climb on cut frond bases as natural steps if needed

🌙

Year 12+

Long-arm sickle on aluminium pole — for tall trees, bamboo ladder or climbing belt

⚡ The 24-hour rule

FFBs must reach the mill within 24 hours of cutting. Every hour of delay raises Free Fatty Acid content. High FFA = lower price or rejection. Speed from tree to mill is direct profit.

Financial projection

5 hectares —
year by year

Based on NIFOR HYT Tenera, 143 trees/ha (9m triangular), Ogun/Oyo State conditions. FFB sold to mill at N90,000/tonne (conservative 2024 estimate).

Year Phase Yield/ha (tonnes FFB) Revenue (5 ha) Progress
1–2Immature—Intercrop income (cassava, plantain)
3First harvest3N1.35M
4Building6N2.7M
5Growing fast12N5.4M
7Approaching peak18N8.1M
8–20⭐ Peak production18–20N8M – N12M / yr
21–28Mature14–16N6.3M – N7.2M
From ground to market
Oil palm nursery rows
Main nursery — 12–15 months of polybag seedling development
Pre-nursery clone
Pre-nursery clone seedling with established root system
Fruit cross-section
Tenera fruit cross-section — thick orange mesocarp (CPO) + white kernel (PKO)
FFB harvest
Ripe Fresh Fruit Bunches — perfect orange-red colour at harvest
Nigerian market prices 2024

What your palm oil
is worth

NIFOR-verified 2024 pricing. The more you process, the more you earn. Seasonal strategy — store and sell in the lean season for a 40–60% premium.

Sell raw · lowest effort
Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB)
N80,000–N100,000
per tonne

Sell directly to the mill. No processing required. Fastest route to cash. Must deliver within 24 hours of harvest for full price.

Local mills Processing companies
Processed CPO · most common
Crude Palm Oil
N1.2M–N2.5M
per tonne (2024 national average)

Pressed from fresh fruit. Sold in 25-litre kegs (N30–50k) or 210-litre drums. Prices peaked at N2.47M/tonne in December 2024.

Market womenDangote FoodsPZ Industries
Premium product
Palm Kernel Oil (PKO)
N880–N1,200
per kg (global USD-linked)

Extracted from the kernel after CPO pressing. Different market entirely — soap factories, confectionery, cosmetics. Separate income stream from the same bunch.

PZ CussonsSoap factoriesExport
Global export · highest value
Refined / RBD Palm Oil
$830–$1,100
per tonne (USD global price)

Refined, bleached, deodorised palm oil for export. Requires refinery access or aggregator partnership. Commands international commodity pricing.

WilmarCargillUnileverExport agents

Get the complete
manual today

Everything on this page — and far more — is documented in full in the Oil Palm Plantation Complete Farmer's Manual. Built for Nigerian conditions, verified against current market data, and written so any farmer or investor can act on it immediately.

Land selection guide — Ogun State & Oyo State
Certified NIFOR variety sourcing and nursery setup
FAO-standard planting, spacing, and fertilizer programme
Disease and pest control protocols
Harvest timing, tools, and the 24-hour FFB rule
Nigerian and global market prices with buyer contacts
25-year financial projection for 5-hectare farm
Government support — NIFOR, ADP, CBN, BOA

WhatsApp for Land Purchase (08156901392)

Focal Point Property Development · Order your copy now

Land also available in Ogun State and Oyo State for oil palm plantation development.

Fresh fruit bunches
13 complete modules

Everything you need to start

Introduction · Land · Varieties · Nursery · Planting · Care · Disease · Harvest · Timeline · Market · Finance · Government · Quick Reference