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Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology (TLIST) Volume 3, 2014
DOI: 10.14355/tlist.2014.03.005

Dye Plants: Potential Value of NTFP to Textile

Industry in Ogun State, Nigeria
J.A. Soaga1, O.J.Agboola2, J.G.Fatoki1
1

Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management,

Department of Home Sciences, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

soagaj@yahoo.com
Received 17th Sep. 2012; Revised 30th July 2013; Accepted 22th Sep. 2013; Published 04th May 2014
2014 Science and Engineering Publishing Company

Abstract
The study examined dye plants as Non-Timber Forest
Product (NTFP) and its contribution to the sustenance of
textile industry in Ogun State. Stratified random sampling
was used for the study. Ogun State was divided into four
strata namely Egba, Yewa, Ijebu and Remo along ecological
characteristics. From each stratum, two plant materials of
food value were randomly selected among common food
plants in Ogun state. The selected plants were cola species
(nuts), ginger (roots), tobacco (flower), sorghum (stem/sheath
leaves), maize (flowering top), Mango (leaves/bark) and
Guava (leaves). Alum was however used as mordant with
wood ash. The dye was extracted by boiling plant materials
and mordant in water for 20 minutes. The dye result
produced different colours Cola accuminata gave red/wine;
Cola nitida bright red; Zingiber officinale bright yellow or
orange; Nicotiana tabacum yellowish green; Sorghum bicolor
wine red; Zea mays bright yellow; Mangifera indica yellow
and Psidium guajara brown. The impart of the dye on
substrate showed good result in terms of radiant colours,
good penetrating ability and poor fading on washing and
exposure to sunlight. The potential of the NTFP was revealed
through income generated from collection of the plant and
processing of the dye for textile industry. Budgetary analysis
revealed that 1kg of plant material could produce 10litres of
dye with a net profit of N650. Consequently, it is
recommended that appropriate conservation measures must
be put in place through policy formulation for dye plants,
while adequate fiscal measures would encourage collection
and processing for income and employment generation.
Keyword
Dye plants; Textile industry; NTFPs; Income generation; Net profit

Introduction
Dyes are colouring agents, and are used primarily to
impart colour to a substance or change an existing
colour of a substance. They are usually applied in

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aqueous solution and the substance to be coloured

(usually called the substrate) must have high affinity
for the particular dye selected for the purpose. Dyes can
either by obtained naturally from plant and animal
origins with little or no processing, or synthetically
from coloured ionized aromatic organic compounds
with higher commercial value.
In Nigeria, the craft of weaving and dyeing was
introduced by migrants from the old Mali Empire to the
Hausas of the Northern Nigeria around 14th and 15th
centuries and became fully established before the end
of 16th century A.D. Advanced craft of dye extraction
and dyeing started taking lead role in the Southern
Yoruba Kingdoms of Abeokuta, Osun, Ibadan, Oyo and
Ondo between 15th and 16th centuries (Dalby and Dean,
1988). Natural dyes were majorly obtained from
different parts of plants leaves, grasses, barks and
roots that could be categorized as Non-Timber Forest
Products (NTFP) either by soaking in water for days
or by boiling in hot water for hours before the dye can
be extracted. The most popular dye plant during this
time was indigofera plant that gives shade of bluish
colour (Dalby and Dean, 1988).
The frequent use of mordant to improve the fastness of
a dye on a substrate was also common around this
period. Mordant, derived from the Latin word
mordere which means to bite is first applied to
soften or weaken the internal parts of the fibres to be
dyed before the dye colour is applied. This helps in
maximizing the penetration of a dye into a substrate,
thereby reducing the running or fading off tendency of
the dye colour during washing, rubbing or exposure to
sunlight. Various mordants have been identified
including alum, common salt, wood ash, iron and
tannic acid (Foulds, 1989), with wood ash being the

Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology (TLIST) Volume 3, 2014

most commonly used among the Yoruba people of

South-western Nigeria (Sayadda, 1987).
The advent of synthetic dyes, which produce different
varieties of dye colours and with cheaper methods of
dyeing on commercial scale, has however limited the
use of natural dyes recently. But with the more recent
findings that most synthetic dyes are toxic, carcinogenic
and mutagenic and pose serious hazard to human
health, attentions are now being switched back to the
use of natural dyes. Consequently, the use of natural
dye colours in cosmetics and textile industry is
increasing while Green consumers are requesting
natural dyes for clothing and even building materials
(Dean, 1994).
Textile has been described as a basic necessity of life
that is demanded throughout the world by the rising
population (Opeolu and Fadina, 2005). In Nigeria,
indigenous textile industries which specialized in
adire production are viable in South-western parts
especially in Ogun State with the adire products
manufactured from them found to compete favourably
well in international markets as aesthetic products
(Soaga and Opeolu, 2009). Consequently, the growth of
these textile cottage industries over the years has
greatly increased the demand for natural dyes in this
region.
In view of the above, this study was carried out in
Ogun State, Nigeria to:
identify dye plants of commercial value that
can be utilized for extraction of natural dyes.
determine the effect of dye plants exploitation
on plant diversity conservation in the study area.
determine the financial incentive of producing
dyes from the identified dye plants in the study area.
Methodology
The Study Area
The study was carried out in Ogun State in the
Southwestern part of Nigeria. Ogun State lies within
latitude 6N and 8N and longitude 2E and 15W. The
State is bound to the west by the Republic of Benin, to
the east by Ondo State, to the north by Oyo State and to
the South by Lagos State and the Atlantic Ocean. It
covers a total land area of 16,409.26 Km2 out of which
22.62% is preserved as forest reserves. It has an
estimated population of 3,728,098 (FRN, 2009). The
climate is tropical with rain between March and
November followed by the dry season. The mean
annual rainfall varies from 128 cm in the southern parts

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of the state to 105 cm in the northern areas. The average

monthly temperature ranges from 23C in July to 32C
in February and relative humidity is between 60 80%.
The northern part of the state is mainly of derived
savanna vegetation while the central part falls in the
rain forest belt and the southern part of the state has
mangrove swamp.
There are twenty (20) Local Government Areas (LGAs)
in the state. The state consists of mainly Yoruba ethnic
groups predominantly the Egbas, Remos, Ijebus, Yewas
and Awori-Eguns. Farming is the major occupation of
the people particularly those in the rural areas. The
climate as well as other environmental factors favour
the production of agricultural crops such as tree crops
(cocoa, kola etc.), tuber crops (yam, cassava etc.) and
cereals (maize, sorghum etc.). Trading and light
commercial merchandizing are the other major
economic activities in the state.
Source of Data
The study was based on primary data obtained from a
cross-section of plant species used as food materials in
Ogun State currently categorized as non-timber forest
products. Two plant species of food value mostly
among the food staples were selected from each
stratum. materials collected from the plants include
leaves, nuts, barks, roots, leaf sheath, flowering top and
flowers.
Sampling Technique and Sample Size
Stratified Random Sampling Technique was used for
the study. Ogun State was divided into four strata
along ecological characteristics and each unit represents
a stratum. From each stratum, food staples were
randomly selected with two plant species selected from
each stratum. Eight plant species were selected across
Ogun State. The selected plants are: Cola acuminata, Cola
nitida, Zingiber officinale, Nicotiana tabacum, Sorghum
bicolor, Zea mays, Magnifera indica and Psidium guajava.
Method of Analysis
The plants were subjected to infusion process to extract
the dye in the plants. This is done by soaking the
collected plant parts in 300 cl water and boiling for a
period of time (15-20 minutes) with mordant for
effective extraction of the dye. The quantity of plant
materials used was 300 g for each kind of plant. The
mordant applied was 50 g. Each plant was separately
treated to identify the colour associated with the
particular plant. Budgetary tool was used to show the
profitability of natural dye production through cost and
return analysis under the input-output relationship.

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Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology (TLIST) Volume 3, 2014

Results and Disussion

Table 1 below shows the plant species selected for dye
extraction across Ogun State. Eight plant species were
identified for dye extraction.
Different plant parts used for the dye extraction are
given in Table 1. All the plant species produced natural
dyes. According to FM (1999), various plants species
were significant in dye production including grasses as
indicated through the interest of aromatherapists.
Therefore, the future of dyes from plants looks bright as
more plants may be identified overtime. Martin (1995)
noted that plant resources are those substances that are
potentially available indefinitely. However, the rate of
exploitation should be lower than rate of regeneration
since they are biological resources. The plants were of
various forms as given in Table 2. There were four tree
species, two grasses, and two herbs.
Table 2 shows that three plant species are abundant in
terms of availability within the community or stratum
where the plant species were found. Also, five plant
species were common they are readily available. The
availability is as a result of various ecological features
in Ogun State. Some areas are more endowed in both
abundance and richness. This is in line with Ojo (1990)
that described Egba and Remo as savanna and southern
guinea savanna/derived savanna ecological areas not
favourably endowed with species richness and
abundance. Yewa and Ijebu were described as relics of
rainforest ecological areas having relics of freshwater
swamp and lowland rainforest. However, different
plants produced various colours. Table 3 shows the
plant material and dye colour produced.
Three plant species (37.5%) produced red colour, they
are Cola acuminata, Cola nitida and Sorghum bicolor.
These plant species belonging to different families

produced similar results. However, four species (50%)

produced yellow colour, they are Zingiber officinale,
Nicotiana tabacum, Zea mays and Mangifera indica while
only Psidium guajara (12.5%) produced brown colour.
Consequently, three main colours were obtained from
the plants Red, Yellow and Brown, with three minor
colours also Wine, Orange and Green. These plants
have great potentials in textile industry with the wide
range of colours produced. These dyes were later
applied to fabrics and the output shows a wonderful
result in terms of radiant colours on the substrate, good
penetrating ability by the dye and poor fading of the
dye upon washing and exposure to sunlight.
Natural Dyes and Textile Industry
Natural dyes have great potential in the textile industry.
According to FM (1999), natural dyes are more
preferred in textile industry because of great demand
for clothes produced from natural fibres while clothing
manufacturers avoid the use of synthetic dyes on the
fabrics. Furthermore, plant derived colours that are
water soluble could be sold for 1,000 per kg in
countries like Germany. Therefore the future of plant
dyes looks bright. In fact, plant derived colours already
account for 1% of total sales in Germany and demand is
growing at 5% yearly FM (1999). Also in China
mainland, a minimum order of 10 tonnes of natural
dyes have been recorded over the years with FOB price
of US $1-1588/tonne and a supply ability of
20,000ton/tonnes per year according to Zhengding
Shengguo Chemical Factory in China. In Nigeria,
average income from dye production was estimated
using budgetary tool to show income from one
kilogramme of plant material for dye production. A net
profit of N650 was estimated from 1 kg of plant
material producing 10 litres of dye using input output
relationship.

TABLE 1 PLANT SPECIES WITH DYE POTENTIAL

S/N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
S/N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

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FAMILY
Sterculiaceae
Sterculiaceae
Zingiberaceae
Solanaceae
Poaceae
Poaceae
Anacardiaceae
Myrtaceae
PLANT SPECIES
Cola acuminata
Cola nitida
Zingiber officinale
Nicotiana tabacum
Sorghum bicolor
Zea mays
Mangifera indica
Psidium guajava

SCIENTIFIC NAME
LOCAL NAME
COMMON NAME
Cola acuminate
Obi abata
Cola
Cola nitida
Obi gbanja
Cola
Zingiber officinale
Ataale
Ginger
Nicotiana tabacum
Taaba
Tobacco
Sorghum bicolor
Oka baba
Sorghum
Zea mays
Agbado
Maize
Mangifera indica
Mongoro
Mango
Psidium guajara
Gorova
Guava
TABLE 2 PLANT FORMS USED FOR DYES
FORM
Tree
Tree
Herb
Herb
Grass
Grass
Tree
Small tree

AVAILABILITY
Common
Common
Abundant
Abundant
Common
Abundant
Common
Common

PLANT PART UTILIZED

Nut
Nut
Root
flower
Sheath leaf
Flowering top
Leaf or bark
Leaf

DOMINANT FORM OF MANAGEMENT

Wild/cultivated
Wild/cultivated
Wild/cultivated
Cultivated
Cultivated
Cultivated
Wild/cultivated
Wild

Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology (TLIST) Volume 3, 2014

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TABLE 3 PLANT MATERIAL AND DYE COLOURS

S/N

PLANT SPECIES

MORDANT, MODE OF
EXTRACTION

RESULT
OBTAINED)

1.

Cola acuminate

Alum, Boiling

Red/wine

2.

Cola nitida

Alum, Boiling

Bright red

3.

Zingiber officinale

Alum, Boiling

Bright yellow-orange

4.

Nicotiana tabacum

Alum, Boiling

Yellowish green

5.

Sorghum bicolor

Alum, Boiling

Wine-red

6.

Zea mays

Alum, Boiling

Bright yellow

7.

Mangifera indica

Alum, Boiling

Yellow

Psidium guajava

Alum, Boiling

Brown

(COLOUR

TABLE 4 COST AND RETURN ANALYSIS ESTIMATING DYE INCOME FROM 1 KG OF PLANT MATERIAL
DESCRIPTION
1kg plant material
Gross Annual Return
Unit price x Qty: N205 X 10L
VARIABLE COST
Input cost
Tax/Permit
Transport cost
Total Variable Cost (TVC)
Gross Profit (GP)
FIXED COST
Depreciation: Straightline
TOTAL COST: TVC+TFC
Net Profit (NP): GP-FC
Profitability

The profitability rate shows that dye production is a

viable activity if capital is burrowed to undertake the
production process. In many developing countries
however, natural dyes can offer not only a rich and
varied source of dyestuff, but also the possibility of an
income through sustainable harvest and sale of these
dye plants. In areas where synthetic dyes, mordants
and other additives are imported and are therefore
relatively expensive, natural dyes can offer an attractive
alternative. In Zambia for example, a wealth of plants is
available for producing natural dyes but most of them
are not being exploited due to lack of knowledge in this
area of research work. However, in some African
countries like Nigeria and Liberia, where various
researches have been undertaken in the study of natural
dye extraction and there exist a tradition of natural
dyeing, natural dyes and mordants are widely used.
Conclusion

This study revealed that natural dyes of different

colours could be obtained from exploitation and
extraction of dyes from different plant species in Ogun

N
2050

400
200
400
1000
1050
400
1400
650
1.63

State. The plant species are mainly of food value

considered as staple food crops among the populace.
The major dye colours of Red, Yellow and Brown
generated by most of the staple food crops together
with the minor colours of Wine, Orange and Green
equally produced are of invaluable importance to
textile industries across the world. Based on the public
willingness to pay for conservation as reported by
previous authors in a country like Germany for various
textile products and the ease with which these dye
plants can be cultivated or naturally grown in the wild,
adequate conservation should be given by the people in
this area for their continuous existence for food
production and consequently for dye extraction. The
ecological distribution of the crops as observed within
the study area (Ogun State) shows that the crops could
be found throughout tropical areas, a condition that
guarantees availability of the crops across the tropical
world. The indigenous fabrics dyed with the extract of
these dye plants have been found to be cost effective
and of long life-span, thereby posing a viable threat to

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Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology (TLIST) Volume 3, 2014

the relatively expensive Western synthetically

produced fabric materials usually imported into the
country. Consequently, it is recommended that
appropriate conservation measures such as agroforestry
practices should be adopted in Ogun State among the
populations, as well as other tropical countries to
ensure regular availability of the crops used in dye
production. Furthermore, adequate fiscal measures that
will provide access to funds by the government must be
put in place through proper policy formulation to
guarantee continuous production of the food staple
crops.

China. Cited on 10/09/2012.

Martin, G.J. 1995. Ethnobotany: A People and Plants
Conservation Manual. Chapman and Hall Publication,
London. 268p.
Ojo L.O. 1990. High Forest Variation in Nigeria, Implication
for

Management

and

Conservation.

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Wales, U.K.
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Dalby, G., and Dean, J (1988). Natual Dyes in Luaputa

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and

100005986.html. Zhengding Shengguo Chemical Factory,

Opeolu, B.O., and Fadina, O.O. 2005. Women in Indigenous

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