Hello readers, I have the honor to present to you the next agripreneur to be featured in the interview section of this blog, I present to you a man with vast experience in Poultry Production who is shaking things up in the Livestock industry. Akintaro Olamide of Taro Agric …Read further as you get to know more about him
Agricincome: Can you introduce yourself and your farming background to our readers?
TaroAgric: I am Akintaro Olamide, am the founder of Taro Agric consulting/Taro Farms. I studied Animal Science for my first-degree faculty of agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo Univerisity Ile Ife and proceeded to earn my Masters of Science from the same faculty. I have had passion for agriculture for over a decade almost going to two, when we started the student in farming project then at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile ife, the university were able to bring in students who have passion for agriculture. I was the pioneer coordinator of that project, we started in June 2005. It was born out of a driving force that young people should be able to embrace agriculture as a viable profession and vocation. That has been the driving force ever since then from my university days. Thank God for where we are and for where we are going
Agricincome: Why Livestock Farming?
Taro Agric: Hmmm….That is the agribusiness part of it….Laugh…..we have tried a lot. When you are starting you want to try a lot of things and until you get the right one you think best suit you and what you want. We have tried a lot. When we were in the university, the university administration then, magnanimously granted us 100 acres of land, and we were able to cultivate more than 25 acres mixed production that is part of the trying. Maize, cassava interplanting for 2-3years. After I graduated I went to serve in Niger state. I ventured into cowpea production as a corps member, by the Grace of God I won the Governor’s Award as the outstanding corps member of the year. I did a little bit of cowpea, I ventured into fish farming which was my major in the university (Fish Production). While I was also in the university I was managing the university fishery laboratory and the department's fish pond. I did a little bit of cattle. Laugh….. We have done a lot, afterwards ventured again into fisheries, piggery…laugh….we even did and we are still doing Bee production (honey). As a business all of those running around we had to streamline to one that will give us:
• Quick Returns on investment
• Ability to scale up.
And that is our we finally settled into poultry farming. We started with 100 birds at the back of our house we grew to 200, from 200 to 400, from 400 to 650 and from 650 to 2000 and we started going, it wasn’t as easy as am saying it, it has been a lot of process of failure, challenges, growth altogether. When we went from 400 to 650, out of 650 birds we lost 400 birds and it was a devastating moment. But I thank God for where we are today. That has been my short sojourn so far in agriculture.
Agricincome: So what is the Capacity of your farm and the staff strength?
Taro Agric: At present, we have a 30,000 capacity at present and we are anticipating to expand any moment from now because we have enough land to expand. The two sites is sitting on a combined acreage of 10 acres, and we are looking at leasing more facilities to expand our production. As at today, we are at 30,000. We have a staff strength of about 15 staffs; 10 farm assistant, veterinary doctor, and accountant though we outsource sometimes, but they are part of us on a part-time basis.
Agricincome: What has been the secret of the success so far?
Taro Agric: GOD…Laugh….God basically, persistency, hard work, and a never die attitude. We started this farm with a single pen.
We had some miscalculations which happened in business and we exhausted our funds. We started looking for funds at a very high cost and from 3000 bird we drop to 1000 birds. One of my protégés came, that he wants to assist me and when we really started work, the guy just suddenly said his no more doing that his health cannot carry it when he saw the work amount of work. I could remember that night May 2017, we were brooding in one small on the farm, we left the farm around 11 pm to go and pick up birds in Oyo state by 5 am the next morning. I envisage he would tell me he was tired, so I already made up my mind that whatever happens I take it, by 5.00am I was in my car driving to Awe Oyo State to pick up the birds, by the time his text message came in I was far on the express road, he said “sorry he can’t continue; his weak and can't stand up from his bed”.
From that 1000 birds to 2500 birds, from 2500 birds we went to 8000. Persistency, doggedness, been open to opportunities.
All of our awesome moments were in our lowest moment when we thought oh!!!! What is happening, I will just sit down browse the internet, saw this opportunity, apply and got the facilities, it could be someone sending something to me help me check, and we see this is also applicable for us, and we moved.
Those are some of the ingredients. I remember my wife will always tell people then who wants to work with me “Are you sure you can work with him”. HARD WORK, it doesn’t kill, though those periods could be challenging. Those time I single-handedly took care of 3000 birds for the first 3 weeks, when the contractor that came to sink our borehole saw the level of work that I was doing, he said Oga don’t kill yourself, I will help you find someone that will assist you. He got me a staff to assist, I got another person and that relief me and we started increasing from there. The God factor cannot be overemphasized. Those are the things that are pushing us and has brought us to where we are and we see this as the starting point. We have a vision of a full self-sufficient Africa in Food Production that is the drive we have the land mass, the labour, what we need is the direction, if we can get the directions right we are hitting it right without rocket science, without too much of technology, we can get it right, we can feed ourselves in Africa. In Nigeria we have the Arable land, we have the human resource to fulfill all this, the direction is critical.
Agricincome: what were the challenges you faced and the ones you are still facing since the inception of your business?
Taro Agric: challenge…..challenge…The major challenge is funding and challenge of committed staff and sometimes marketing, but we have good success as regards that.
Agricincome: How do you market your products?
Taro Agric: we do much of collaborations, we collaborate with large industries that need our products because we sell in volumes, we also use online marketing (social media) and traditional media (Prints, Radio, and Television). But more importantly, we do collaboration. We have memorandum of agreement with some of the big players in the industry and they pick up our products.
Agricincome: Most people think livestock farming is a get rich quick scheme what is your stand about this?
Taro Agric: Laugh……it is not!! , because for example in poultry farming the profit margin is not that wide, what you need is volume, because the more the volume the bigger the profit margin and so is it for other livestock production (piggery, Fishery, Snailery etc.) is not a get rich quick scheme as a matter of fact within the first 3-5 years you still keep investing like every other business. Doing Agribusiness the appropriate way, it takes time, effort, it takes determination. Without all this, no appreciable success could be made. When we started with 100 birds, one principle I learnt then is to market your products well before they are ready so you will not be pushed to an edge when they are ready. The three major things that affect Agribusiness are:
• Funding
• Marketing
• Value Addition
Agricincome: Most youths find it difficult to start livestock farming because of the issue of funding and access to land. What do you think can be done?
Taro Agric: Start small, if I tell you how I started you will see the need to start small. I stopped consulting because talk is cheap, I have trained more than 10,000 people in several areas of agriculture, different parastatals including the Nigerian Army. I told myself let us have something to show, let roll up our sleeves as my mentor do say. Let the youth roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.
After I finish my Nysc, I went to seek the permission of the Royal father of the town where I served to give me land, and he graciously gave a quite large portion of land which I used for my cowpea production. Starting Agriculture is about determination.
Also through God’s direction, I saw an abandon fish pond in my host community, I met the owner to let me use it as he wanted to convert it to a self-contained apartment. I went to Abuja from Kontagora Niger State which is about 6hours drive to purchase fingerlings and I started using the fish pond. This is how I started from there we bought our own land and it keeps getting better. There is this popular saying “when there is a will there is a way” let’s give less of excuses and more of action to get it done.
I traded my Nysc certificate for 3 years to secure a fund of #250,000 and if anybody is still willing to give me fund to trade another certificate am still willing. That is the fund I used for the fish and cowpea production, I also did a little bit of cattle production from it and I returned their money after 2 years, we made some loss and we made some profits but we are better.
Another thing is that youths should open their eyes to opportunities. Opportunities are available particularly now in the internet age, a lot of opportunities, agencies online that we could access.
Agricincome: Any advice for youths seeking careers in agriculture?
Taro Agric: Like I have been saying “Start Small” success they say is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. For upcoming youths that wants to go into poultry farming, your altitude is determined by your attitude. START SMALL, if it is 50 birds START. The profit I made from my first production was used to buy a property that was the first property I ever bought in my life at my teenage years.
Be open to see investment opportunities
How thirsty are you for success? Young people say No to laziness, Yes to Hard work and persistence. Challenges will come but be open to opportunities, be hardworking, be committed and just a matter of time you are shinning.
Agricincome: Any specific Goals for Taro Farms?
Taro Agric: Our goal for this farm is to build a transgenerational corporation that will outlive us. This is a corporation that will outlive several generations just like ford, Chrysler motors that have evolved over 100 years. And the paramount goal is not just to amass wealth but to have a food sufficient Africa. A Nigeria Nation that will be food sufficient.
Agricincome: Thank you for your time sir
Taro Agric: you’re Welcome
http://www.agricincome.com/interview-section-youths-should-embrace-agriculture-as-a-viable-profession-and-vocation/

This is really encouraging