Processing and commercial significance

Back to: Botany 500 Level

My Afrilearn Champion, how you dey today?
I hope say your spirit dey ginger because this lesson na one wey go open your eyes to the journey our farm products dey take before dem reach market. You ever wonder how that bottle of palm oil, pack of cocoa powder, or ginger tea reach your mama’s kitchen shelf? Today, we go gist about Processing and Commercial Significance of our major plant products like clove, ginger, cocoa, coffee, oil palm and more. This one go sweet you well because it connects directly to real life and business!

Processing and commercial significance

In Nigeria and across Africa, our farms dey produce plenty valuable crops. But guess wetin? If we no process these crops well, we go just dey sell raw materials and lose money. That na why processing—which means turning raw farm produce into usable or market-ready products—is very important. It no only add value, it make the product last longer, safer, more useful, and more profitable. From the woman wey dey boil palm fruits in the village, to the big factory wey dey produce cocoa powder for export, processing dey help turn crops to serious money.

 

 

Processing of Key Economic Crops

1. Ginger
   After harvest, ginger dey washed, peeled, sliced, and dried. It fit be sold as dry flakes, ground powder or even oil. In Kaduna and Plateau, small businesses dey grind and package ginger for tea, zobo, and pepper soup spice. Some companies also dey extract ginger oil for medicine and cosmetics.
   
2. Cocoa
   Cocoa pods dey split, beans dey removed, fermented, and dried. After that, the beans dey roasted and ground into cocoa liquor, then processed further to make cocoa powder, chocolate, or cocoa butter. Companies like Nestlé and Cadbury dey depend on processed cocoa for their products. Nigeria dey earn foreign exchange from exporting cocoa beans and semi-processed cocoa.
   
3. Coffee
   Coffee cherries dey picked, pulped to remove seeds, fermented, washed and dried. Then e dey roasted and ground before packaging. Though Nigeria still dey grow small scale coffee, there’s growing demand for local coffee shops and export-quality beans, especially from Taraba and Cross River.
   
4. Oil Palm
   Palm fruits dey boiled and pounded or pressed to release red palm oil. The kernel inside dey cracked and processed to get palm kernel oil. Both oils dey used for cooking, soap, cream, margarine, and biofuel. Companies like PZ Cussons dey use palm oil for soaps like Premier and Joy. 
5. Clove
   After harvest, clove buds dey dried under sun, then packed for spice or medicinal use. Though Nigeria no dey export large amounts, demand dey high locally for zobo, suya spice, and herbal remedies.

Commercial Significance

• Value Addition: Processed goods sell higher than raw materials. Ginger powder or cocoa butter fetch more money than fresh roots or beans.
• Employment: Processing creates jobs—from farming, drying, grinding, packaging, to distribution.
• Export and Forex: Nigeria dey export cocoa, shea butter, ginger, and palm oil. This brings in foreign exchange wey help grow the economy.
• Preservation: Processing helps prevent spoilage and waste, especially in hot tropical climate.
• Local Industries: Processed products dey used in food, cosmetics, medicine, and beverage industries.

 

 

A farmer fit sell raw cocoa for ₦3,000 per kg, but if he process am into cocoa butter or powder, e fit sell am for ₦10,000 or more. That’s the power of processing!

Summary:

• Processing means changing raw farm produce into usable or market-ready form.
• Common methods include drying, grinding, fermenting, boiling, and packaging.
• It adds value, preserves quality, creates jobs, and boosts income through local use and exports.

Evaluation:

1. Mention two products that can be made from cocoa.
2. Why is processing important for Nigerian crops?
3. What are the steps involved in processing palm oil?

Keep going, superstar. Today, you’ve learnt how knowledge of crops and small-scale processing fit change lives and communities. You’re not just learning, you’re becoming a nation builder with Afrilearn. Next lesson go blow your mind even more. Keep shining!

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