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Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 11:24am On Feb 17, 2012 |
My name is X (just removed my name)and I started working after my youth service days since 2006, I have experience in strategy, corporate finance and investment banking/research. All these took me far and wide (Nigeria and countries abroad). Worked with a management consulting firm, financial advisory firms, investment banking outfit and sometimes around 2010, I said I wanted to be an employer of labour and really do stuff for myself. Left my place of work and I started a Betting company called Stakersden. Ups and downs as an entrepreneur and oh yeah, the company is slowly gathering momentum. Ive dabbled into imports and also business ideas keep coming up but for now, stakersden is the only registered company on my hands One day in 2011, aboard a plane I met one of the founding members of the biggest downstream Oil and Gas company (whom ive met many times before) and he asked what I was doing at that time. I told him and laughed at me and beckoned on me to join his company (The company is the biggest farm input manufacturing company that I know in West Africa). I agreed since stakersden is already gathering momentum and I have others guys on board who works on the site, This brings about this thread I have seen and learnt a lot about Nigeria’s Agric landscape in a very short period of time. The opportunities are just enourmous (of course with the risks/challenges) and right now, im looking at going full throttle into commercial rice/plantain farming. I have attended some meetings in the country with agric stakeholders and The CBN and I know about the current governments attention on adequate rice production to curb the huge forex expended on rice importation in Nigeria. There is a concerted effort going on by CBN to create a zero risk platform for commercial banks to help in this regard under the NIRSAL arrangement Who is into rice farming? Who is into plantain farming? Or what do you know about rice farming/processing? I plan to start with a minimum of 20 hectares and grow to about 200 or more in 5 years with the vision to own a processing mill in short term. Is this a dream that I can achieve? Will be out of this job before June to expressly kickstart these initiatives and oh yeah, I intend to make this work. I need comments, encouragements, and criticisms from everybody. Even if you aint a farmer, your contributions would greatly help Oya, lets roll. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by candylips(m): 12:05pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
tkb baba. carry go jare. i wanna be like u when i grow up. people have said that investing in farming is about the only recession prove biz . . since population is increasing and food prices are increasing too. you will always be making a killing only issue might be how to control pests and diseases which i hear can sometimes be very devastating , but i hope it works well for u |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 12:15pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
candylips:ive met some IITA people and they seem to be cool about how to control the breakout of pests and other diseases I have been to a large farm in Kura, Kano state recently and i see how they move against such occurences You only need to invest in quality herbicides pre-planting and immediately after planting *sigh* yes, ill pray against the outbreak of any wahala that cannot be controlled by herbicides 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Shola2009(m): 12:18pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
@tkb, No doubt the opportunities are vast and your plan is a no-brainer, provided one has the funds to execute such plans. Also, I can understand that rice is pretty much always in high demand,hence the rice framing. But why plantain farming? I figured tuber crops (yam, etc) are in higher demand (compared to plantain) and would obviously fetch more on the market. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 12:27pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Shola2009:well this is why im here. Nairaland is the only avenue i can attract the smartest Nigerians online Rice is a yes yes Let me say im just looking for what else to combine with Rice. I have a lot of literature on rice farming and ive met cool researchers from IITA and other research institutes and i know where to get the best hybrid seeds Currently managing huge Rice seeds farm with some peeps in Kano so i know about Rice very well. Plantain? Ill think about it and come up with something better Thanks bro |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by debosky(m): 12:40pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Valid business idea and obviously massively profitable if done right. You need to slow down a bit in my view. Yes there are opportunities, but do you need to dive in headlong immediately? From what I’ve read , you’ve had less than a year’s exposure to this agric industry yet you’re ready to go in full throttle from June - I think you need some more time to fully grasp and understand the business before jumping in. You’ve admitted you don’t even have enough information on rice growing, milling or even distribution/sales. To expect that you’ll have enough knowledge to kick off in June (leaving your job I mean) is a tad optimistic - this is just from what you’ve put down. You may actually be more prepared than it sounds. How established is this CBN initiative? Have other large scale farmers (established ones) started taking advantage? Like you said, your other business is able to run almost by itself - I’d advise doing the additional leg work during weekends, etc to fully understand the scale of what you want to engage in first before going headlong into it. More questions - are you planning to go solo? Are you looking for/already have partners? What expertise are you expecting them to bring in? Good to see your passion though - I know my friend shined eye well well for market. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 1:30pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
debosky: Ore thanks you think 20Hectares is a lot? 1) The CBN initiative is just kicking off. Nobody has enjoyed anything yet. paperworks but it should be off pretty soon. When is soon? i do not know 2) i do a lot of travelling (leg work) weekends. I agree i need to be cautious before going fully into it but i think ive weighed the pros and cons and i might just be able to manage the attendant risks involved in starting with 20 hectares 3) i wanted to go solo but i have a friend who is really interested in doing the whole thing with me. Hes only interested because he knows ill be off work and be on the project 24/7. Nothing concrete about that yet tho Lol @ ur last line. Your friends help in all these is immeasurable |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by DisGuy: 2:15pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Is this a dream that I can achieve? Ofcourse, Yes Yes ofcourse!! Agriculture is a sure banker especially with the population and government backing (as long as its constitent) I'd personally prefer some focus on agricultural product one can export, that way you are working to a standard and perhaps even partner with foreign farms for ready market. so 70/30 Kwara state just signed an MOU with a spanish consortium for rice, same with taraba with dominica farms (kenya), dont know if these will even ever come to pass but its interesting |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by DisGuy: 2:17pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Good on you bro! thumbs up! |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 2:23pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Dis Guy:Nice one bro i know about the programme in Kwara Ive been to the Shonga farm settlement in Kwara where we have the Zimbabawe farmers. Rice is huge in the country now and the last step in the chain is having a processing mill. if i ever get to that level, ill be on top of the world. But bros why would you wanna focus on exporting some certain crops when our number 1 staple food is not enough for us to eat? These oyinbos, stallion, veetee, kewalrams/olams make a kill importing rice into the country. All these things must stop oh |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Jcob(m): 2:58pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
@TKB, I have a friend that started same thing sometimes last year and he's doing cool. He started with the cultivation of cassava, maize, plantain . . . . . and animal husbandry. He has some hectares of land in Osun state. He's presently into marketing and distribution of his stuffs on large scale. We can talk more about this off NL. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 3:02pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Jcob: pls can you send me sms on this number X ill call you tomorrow morning let me know when you have the number so i can take it off cheers |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Jcob(m): 3:38pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
@tkb, you can now remove it. will sms you soon. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 3:51pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
^ thanks bro |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by violent(m): 3:56pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Don't do it, come back to IB! On a more serious note, i think what you've got going on is some pretty ambitious project that could either make or break you. The chances of the former far outweigh the possibilities of the latter and in my opinion, the only thing you may have to worry about is appropriate capital and skills, a management team you can rely on (not trust) and a good plan in place to protect your fields from "human" and natural pest. I wouldn't worry too much about natural pest tho, it's the "human" types that are more disturbing. Your clientele will naturally take care of itself, and if you can sufficiently produce enough at low cost, you may just establish another "dangote-ish" monopoly like market! |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by candylips(m): 4:07pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
you might wanna start it as a side project while you maintain full employment . Once you gain more experience in the biz and good profits are coming , you can at that point face it full time. well you have the betting company though so i guess you are fine . . just a thought . . |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:07pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
violent: dangote bawo hehe points noted bro, Do you have Tmonis BB pin? |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:10pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
candylips:hmm when i left IB late 2010, i didnt really feel anything apart from the monthly bank alerts whenever they paid salary i no dey do again jare |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by DisGuy: 4:15pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
tkb417: apart from the shonga farms, the SG signed a new deal with some spanish consortium Vaoslar Consortium I would focus on export (as well) as a cover up to investement in nigerian market, the policies are great on paper, constantly changing and each government has a new bride every term- look at cassava, some people must have invested billions in it since the OBJ era, if you are not former governor you'd probably still be waiting for a miracle in terms of loans and government support |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by elowa: 4:17pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Your drive has alwaz inspire me. . .sure you know wat i mean Agriculture is really recession proof, thereby a good biz to venture into. But like debo said, why go with two legs into the water at inception? I ll advise you begin "semi-big" and expand gradually with profits being turned back to capital. I may have a couple of questions later before June, at least i alwaz know where to find you. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:20pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Dis Guy:True I am one of the people who wont run to a bank to start up a company. Ill prefer to approach a bank when my cashflow is healthy and i need to scale up production . Export is good if you can meet up with the standard out there. Thats where the processing Mill comes into play. If i can feed my local govt/state very well, then ill think about export The NIRSAL arrangement from CBN isnt for me at this stage. I dont want any gbese on my head |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:23pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
elowa:Debos point is Mint! isnt 20 hectares small? in Brasil, a Big farmland is over 10,000 hectares i wonder why you guys think 20 hectares is big. Thats small oh cos at say 6Mt yield per hectare, thats 120,000 KG worth of grains. small jare Buzz me anytime lets talk |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Kilode1: 4:24pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
I heard plantain farm theft is one of the major risks WRT plantain farming, any ideas on how to prevent that. I'll post more when I get a minute, nice thread. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Jarus(m): 4:25pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
I dont know whether you opened this thread before or after I sent you that message asking for how your business was faring, but since you mentioned it in our 'Welcome to office' thread last year that you'd resigned from your IN job, I have been looking for you to ask wassup. Your decision is one of the bravest I have seen by a Nigerian of our generation. From your well-paying, well-connecting job in the IB industry, you suddenly dropped the letter! ol' boy, you try o. Your announcement of your decision last year got me thinking seriously since then, and(I hope oyb will not tell oga ), I have gone ahead to register my own company too early this year and still researching and testing waters. If things work out, never say never in the next 2 years, I'm looking at toeing similar line, but hey, ore, I no fit drop curtain on this job yet. Agric is an area I believe you can explore. There still lies undertapped opportunities there. PS: It was JO you met in plane ! |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by stagger: 4:25pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
I cultivated plantain, cassava and a palm tree on a plot of land at our backyard when I was a kid, so I know the rudiments. The problem with plantain is the black cigatoca disease which came into Nigeria in 1986 that causes the withering of the plant. The only processing of cassava I did was to convert it into garri and starch. It is something I have nursed doing on a commercial scale. My problem is that I am based in Abuja now and I am not sure the rainfall pattern here is good for the plantain. I would prefer to do it in the SE or SS where I am more familiar with the terrain. I am aware that Dangote has a 6,000 acre farm on which he farms pineapples for his Dansa Pineapple fruit drink. It will be interesting to follow this thread. |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Lollysbride: 4:26pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Like you said, your other business is able to run almost by itself - I’d advise doing the additional leg work during weekends, etc to fully understand the scale of what you want to engage in first before going headlong into it.[img]http://www.crzxy.info/g.php[/img] |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:28pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Kilode?!:i dey wait for ur input bros e be like say i dey fashi this plantain idea oh |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:30pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
@Jarus Youre one of the smartest people i know yeah, it was JO i met on the plane he doesnt know about this ohh so dont metion to him abeg |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:33pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
@Dis Guy i know about the cassava thing oh and i met one guy that is heavy in that line. dont know if you know him. His name is Chris what you posted here was exactly what he told me in Abuja recently caution is the word here when it comes to relying on Govts policies to make investment decisions The caution button is close to my chest; im looking at it right now so no James Bond moves from me |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:34pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
Lollysbride:wow your 2nd post in on this thread thanks abi u go change handle to post for here Jokes |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by tkb417(m): 4:37pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
@Stagger what do you want to do? Cassava or Plantain? i heard Plantain is better in the South cos of rainfall and the weather. Not sure you can do it in the North well, this thread is up so we can learn from others so stick around and lets see what we can get from peeps |
Re: Where Are The Farmers? by Sholaf(f): 4:48pm On Feb 17, 2012 |
candylips: I think this advice is best suited for me. My husband and I will be spending the whole of winter away in Lagos. I have acquired some farm land, overlooking the lagoon but, I am undecided which to go for: My preference is Fish farming plus one of the following eg Cassava, Maize, Tomatoes, Peppers and Plantain. |
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