Introduction 

Macabo is an annual crop. It should be planted (sown) at the beginning of the rainy season, between March and April to be precise. Harvesting often takes place 8 to 11 months after sowing, i.e. between November and January. 

characteristics and favourable area for growing macabo

In a society like Niger, macabo is a great opportunity, especially for the people of Dandi in the west of the country, in the Dosso region, where the area is too favourable. Because it’s a crop that needs a warm, fairly humid climate. It is an equatorial and coastal plant that likes shade. It therefore grows well in areas with high rainfall and prefers temperatures of between 18 and 29°C. Macabo seed should have an average weight of 150 grams (seed as a whole tuber or sliced from the mother macabo). Tubers of this weight (150g) are those measuring between 10 and 15 centimetres long.

Seeds and sowing

The seeds planted must be sound and of good quality. Macabo seed is obtained by preserving the stems dug up during harvesting.  To preserve it, the mother stems dug up during the harvest are systematically replanted. Once on the ground, they should take root and remain fresh until the season. The larger ones are broken up and used as seed. Macabo is also propagated from the apical portions of large tubers harvested at maturity.

In pure culture, one hectare of macabo takes 10,000 plants in a spacing of 1m X 1m. If the soil is very fertile and the plot is well managed. The density for one hectare being 10,000 plants, you need to allow for an average of 1,500 kg, i.e. 15 bags of 100 kg of seed.

Conclusion

More than 30 tonnes (300 100 kg bags) of large macabos can be harvested for consumption, and around 3 tonnes (30 100 kg bags) of small tubers sold as seed.  This crop is a business opportunity for our young African entrepreneurs, who don’t need a lot of money to get started.