osita76:
The Josan Integrated Rice Farm Story

It all start at the peak of oil prices in 2014.

I sat down with a friend and big brother, and we analyzed oil prices which were at it's peak. We both agreed that historically, oil prices that went up always will go down and that this was a time to start thinking of diversification into other areas that Nigeria had a comparative advantage, there and there, we agreed to sponsor extensive professional research on agriculture and mining.

We narrowed down on agriculture, flew around the world, did extensive research on rice, signed MOUs with technical and management partners and decided to call our company, Joseph Agro Industries. The name Joseph came to us in a vision, that Nigeria will have years of plenty (the oil boom years), but also years of a recession (the years were oil prices go down), and that like Joseph in the Bible, we will need to get ready, invest and be ready for the years of lack. We also liked the name Joseph, as many people called us dreamers.

We were excited that we will now be engaging and investing in the rural areas of Nigeria, bringing them development and creating jobs in the rural areas. For us, this business is much more than just about making money. It is a business where we see ourselves touching the lives of people in the rural areas, empowering them, bringing food to Nigerians and still creating value by strategic value chain investments.

One day, a former classmate of mine rang me and stated that there was an investment opportunity for the rice business in Anambra, basically, to take over moribund assets and resuscitate them. First, we were hesitant, as it normally costs much more to resuscitate old assets, also, building new things affords one the chance to deploy more modern technology and longer lasting equipment.

One was skeptical. However, my friend asked me to meet the Governor's SA on agriculture (a former oil engineer), the current Hon Commissioner of Economic planning and the ANSIPPA team (Anambra State Investment and Promotion Agency), led by the amiable Sir Joe Billy Ekwunife (MD), Dr Amobi and the whole ANSIPPA team. We were pleasantly surprised at the caliber of people we met.

We met with people of like minds, bankers, engineers and professionals, all working for Anambra State, who had a burning passion to help translate His Excellency, Governor Willie Obiano's vision, into reality. This was no more business as usual. This was business unusual, Government people who were pushing forwards like captains of industry, all in a hurry, just like us, to achieve profitable and tangible results.

We have also been massively supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, led by Hon Commisioner Afam Mbanefo, the PM (Mrs Onu and the director of rice. The Hon Commisioner of Power and Utilities, Hon Obi Nwankwo has also at every junction supported us and worked so hard to energize us.

We formed a PPP (Public Private Partnership) company called JOSAN, namely, Joseph (JOS) Anambra (AN), JOSAN. We were truly amazed at His Excellency's passion for agriculture, his professionalism (coming from being a top notch auditor and an executive banker), his humility and his unmatched zeal to develop Anambra, especially, the rural areas of Anambra.

In record time, in September 2014, we signed an MOU with Anambra State Government, to first of all resuscitate the former moribund, dilapidated and abandoned world bank rice project in Ufuma, and turn this into our pilot project, thereafter, to resuscitate the dilapidated Omor rice mill (the former largest rice mill in Nigeria) and then, develop 15,000 hectares of land into paddy rice fields to supply Omor mill with rice paddies.

We engaged Chinese and South African experts who came down to look at the dilapidated and moribund former world bank farm in Ufuma and their recommendation to us, was that we should walk away from this project and go and invest in a green field (new project), as they did not see the economic sense in investing any money to turn around what they called a "dead" asset.

We went spiritual and prayed to GOD to guide us on this, as we could not afford to let the good people of Anambra down. From nowhere, divine strength and solutions came, to forge ahead.
Challenges abounded, but we saw them more as mountains that we needed to surmount. Some people fought us and we fought back.

They said that the huge reptiles and swamps would make work impossible for us on the farm and we faced them head on. Experts came in and told us that it was impossible to get water infront of the farm and that rice can only grow infront during the rainy season. We refused to listen to the so called experts and we bulldozed, dredged and excavated anywhere we found water, built new channels and brought water to the front and elsewhere to ensure that we can plant rice all year round for dry season farming. The day we finally brought water to the farmers infront of the farm, felt like a miracle, as we defied all expert advise.

Some called the old rice mills scrap and that we should burn them or sell them as scrap metal. The manufacturers said that they had no spare parts for us. Again, we refused to listen to "no", we forged spareparts ourselves, we spent millions to bring back the two old mills to life and we dedicated these former mills to Anambra farmers, as a rural empowerment mill, where farmers can come and mill their own rice, parboil and dry, traditionally, in line with the World Bank rural empowerment compliance schemes.

We went to China and Europe to go and buy mills, and we were given about a year's delivery time. Then, a banker called me and told me that a gentleman had two new mills already on ground in Nigeria, thus, we called for a meeting.

It turned out that we met another like minded Nigerian, Dr Lucas, the CEO of ROCKWORKS who was burning with ideas and inventions to develop Nigeria, just like is. He was trained by NEPA, helped build two of Nigeria's major dams and had worked at the Atomic Institute in Vienna, thus, we hit it off together, to not listen to those who said that it cannot be done, but to solve any issue with creativity, innovation and positive hard work.

JOSAN-ROCKWORKS consortium was formed and we turned one of our warehouses into a major incubator and technological powerhouse for local inventions for the agro allied industry and rural development. First, we installed the two rice mills, which have a capacity of 60mt (60,000kg a day). We also fixed the rural empowerment mills which have a capacity of 30mt (30,000kg a day).

Then we built a parboiling unit, soaking tanks, industrial dryer, cooler, water rig for bore holes and irrigation, plus, a fossil less fuel generator (does not use any diesel nor petrol), which can run for 25 years, all on JOSAN's site in Ufuma. Truly speaking, we cannot quantify the pride of these innovations being produced in a small village in Anambra. We thank Dr Lucas and his team for believing in us and that it can be done.

The Japanese who built Omor rice mill advised that we scrap it and start afresh. Again, we say no and we will march hereafter to Omor rice mill, to show that it can be done by Nigerians, again.

Our farmers have been very diligent and the just concluded bumper harvest was heart warming. One of our farmers, a woman, won an award as the best farmer in a national competition. We salute her resilience. Development agencies like IFAD and FADAMA have supported us and many have become our personal friends, as they believe in our vision and hard work.

We want to commend the IFAD lady, Mrs Ngozi, who galvanized our farmers at the back of our farm, created a rice belt with our farmers and we recorded bumper yields in this just concluded harvest season.

Our workers are commended and they all now have a new mind set, that it can be done, in Nigeria, by Nigerians and for Nigerians.

I got a call one day from a former classmate who is a director of CBN, that CBN is proud of us and want to support us. We hail them. The Minister of Agriculture recently invited us for an event and said he was very pleased at what we were doing. The Minister of Science and Technology has been very pleased with us and has always given us his full support, especially, stating that we were both feeding the Nation, creating jobs and also coming out with "Made in Nigeria" innovations and solutions. We salute you all.

Leaders and fathers of integrity like Dr Obieri have always guided and led me on the right path. Dr Nwodo has been like an intellectual light house and his stories and oratory of how M.I. Okpara developed agriculture and industries in Eastern Nigeria and never even had a house in his village have been inspirational. Prince Arthur Eze has been giving me fatherly advice all through. My Oga friend, Aliko Dangote is also one person who always asked me to return back to Nigeria when I used to live in Europe and Sir, I am not just back but jumping inside bushes in the village to grow rice. Hon Prime Minister Skerritt, Chuma, Olivier, Ratko, Prince Idris, Jack and all my associates, you always believed in me. I appreciate you all. To all my friends who supported me, I cannot thank you all enough. To the Fidelity bank team, although we just opened an account with you, you made us in record time feel like family members.

Benny P, all I can say, is that we have been running this agro race together, we have surmounted all kinds of challenges and the race continues. You are a man made of steel, extreme business acumen and vision. Keep flying high. It was never by our strength, might or power, but all by GOD's grace.

What can I say about His Excellency, the hardworking Governor of Anambra State. Sir, I am so sorry for overloading your inbox with so many emails. However, His Excellency read all emails, replied the key ones, gave professional and executive advise, showed that he is a true leader and always had a listening ear for us. What an exceptional, hardworking and digital leader you are Sir.

When we asked for power, in his wisdom, he said the power will not just be for us as an agro processor, but will be extended to two whole Local Government areas, so that farmers will have light and can work even when dark, but also, to give light to all, carpenters, welders, restaurants and private homes, as development should have a socio economic multiplying effect. We asked for security and he approved a Police Station for us on the farm.

To my wife, family and parents, thank you for tolerating me for all the time that I was on the road, flying in the air or moving about in the bushes to grow rice, also, working in the mills to make this happen. To my all friends and well wishers, you have all been totally amazing, supporting me throughout this journey.

I must end this here, so that we can now focus on the agenda of the day :-

1. Commissioning of the JOSAN integrated rice farm and mill.
2. Inspection of the onsite locally manufactured soaking tanks, boiler, industrial dryer using reticulated steam abs cooler.
3. Inspection of the rural empowerment mills.
4. Inspection of the onsite locally manufactured water rig for bore holes & irrigation, fossil less 50kva generator (no diesel and no petrol as feedstock, rather kinetic energy for 25 years)
5. Inspection of irrigation systems built infront, where so called experts said it was impossible to channel water, for all year round farming.

Once again, thank you very much for attending, I am very proud of you all and may GOD bless you all, Anambra State and Nigeria!

Oliver Okeke
Chairman & CEO
JOSAN integrated rice farm and mills
Joseph Agro Industries

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More pictures of the project