₦airaland Forum

Have you ever tried coconut water? It's not just refreshing; it's packed with goodness! Imagine this: a sweet, nutty taste with natural electrolytes, low in calories, and rich in essential minerals like manganese, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It's nature's ultimate thirst-quencher!

Now, here's something exciting: did you know that the coconut water packaging industry was worth a whopping $5.7 billion in 2022, and it's growing at a staggering rate of 14.83%? That's huge! And here's why: more and more consumers are ditching sugary energy drinks for healthier alternatives. They want something natural, something that ticks all the right boxes for a healthy lifestyle.

Enter coconut water – the ultimate natural beverage. And guess what? As an entrepreneur in Africa, you're sitting on a goldmine! With countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Ivory Coast boasting vast coconut plantations, the market is ripe for the taking.

Imagine having your own branded coconut water, infused with natural fruits or herbs like ginger, making it uniquely yours. But here's the best part: after packaging the water, you still have the coconut left! That opens up a world of possibilities – from producing coconut oil and milk to creating delicious coconut snacks.

And let's not forget about the coconut fiber – it's incredibly versatile! You can use it to make everything from doormats and mattresses to ropes and floor mats. Talk about a thriving sub-industry!

So, where's the market for this amazing product? Well, you've got your local market covered, but why stop there? With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) program, you can explore opportunities across the continent and even consider exporting your products globally.

Now, here's a game-changer: you can venture into branded coconut water without worrying about production costs. Just focus on marketing your unique brand and watch your business soar!

So, what do you think? Are you ready to unlock the vast opportunities in the coconut water industry? Share your thoughts in the comments below!


Unlock your agriculture potential with me! I specialize in value chains for farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs. Reach me at 0706 247 5733 or iniobong4solution@gmail.com. Let's maximize your success in agriculture."

Are you tired of the same old agricultural products flooding the market with no differentiation in quality? Step away from the "Pure water" mentality and discover how to stand out.

Imagine transforming ordinary plantain chips into extraordinary treats – sweetened with honey, dipped in chocolate, or fried in coconut oil. Picture unique twists like spinach fufu or garri blended with carrots. It's time to break free from the saturated market and redefine your niche . Picture a bakery leaving the regular wheat flour bread and introducing innovative and nutritious products like cassava flour, banana, milliet Acha(Fonio) bread with added fruits and nuts.

Be the industry leader in your niche by offering unique products that capture attention and command a premium. Differentiate not only in product, but also in packaging, customer relationships, and marketing strategies. Imagine the success of being the vegetable farmer who thrives in the dry season, commanding higher prices for your produce.

Don't wait any longer to join the 1% of agricultural entrepreneurs who bring unique value to the table. As a consultant in agriculture value chains, I'm here to guide you. Contact me at 0706 247 5733 or iniobong4solution@gmail.com to start your journey towards standing out in the market.

Planning your marketing strategy before starting your farming can help you avoid selling on credit. When you have multiple potential buyers interested in your product, you can pick the best one more easily.

quote author=FarmPlanetNG post=128193929]In the same Nigeria of much wicked people. Even buyers do not have excess to biy ahead of harvest. Instead they would shift to another ready seller. Plus atleast over 50% of agricultural produce sales are sold at credits[/quote]

Imagine strolling through a store in the USA or Canada and stumbling upon Nigerian yam cubes priced at $39.96 for just 250g. That's nearly ₦59,940 for a pack weighing less than one tuber of yam typically found in Nigeria, which can weigh between 2.5kg to 3kg on average.

Now, consider this: what if you could tap into the market for processed and packaged yam cubes, not just locally in Nigeria, but also in international markets like the USA, Canada, UK, and beyond?

That's where the real opportunity lies – turning yams into convenient cubes that can cater to diverse markets worldwide. And as an agriculture value chain consultant, I'm here to provide guidance every step of the way.

Ready to explore the endless possibilities? Reach out to me at 0706 247 5733 or via email at iniobong4solution@gmail.com.

Let's unlock the potential of yams together!

In Nigeria, the economy is facing tough times, but one way to overcome these challenges is by offering products or services that people really value. One such product is having your own branded tea.

Tea in Nigeria isn't just about leaves brewed in hot water. It includes any hot drink consumed at breakfast or sold by street vendors (Mallams) even in the scorching heat.

Nigerians love tea because of its health benefits, like antioxidants and immune-boosting properties. There are various types of tea, like green tea, black tea, herbal tea, and even sparkling tea.

Packaging tea can be a profitable venture in Nigeria. While big companies like Unilever dominate, there's still room for more players, especially those using local ingredients.

Imagine creating unique blends like ginger, Neem, and cloves for anti-malaria and flu, or using dandelion roots and soursop leaves for anti-cancer properties. You could also blend Zobo leaves with dry fruits like pineapple for families.

To stand out, you need to be innovative in blending, packaging, and delivering premium products. Consider different forms like powdered, solid cubes, or even sparkling tea, which isn't common in Nigeria.

Before entering the market, understand your target customers and have a solid plan. Will you have your own base or use white-labeling? These decisions are crucial for success in the tea business in Nigeria.

Sneak peek from my upcoming book! To join the waiting list, share your email and number. As an agriculture value chains consultant, I'm here to guide you. Reach me at 0706 247 5733 or iniobong4solution@gmail.com.

This February, I am delving into strategies to add value to our farm produce through processing and packaging, a preview from my upcoming book. If you wish to be on the waiting list, kindly share your email and number.

Acha (Fonio) is a nutritional powerhouse, gluten-free, and brimming with B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. In the realm of processing and packaging, consider these opportunities:

Cereal Delights: Explore packaging Acha (Fonio) as cereal, catering to diverse markets like baby food or family breakfast menus. For instance, a blend with dehydrated fruits, sweetened with honey or dates, and flavored with ginger.

Nutritious "Swallow": Process Acha (Fonio) into a nutritious "swallow," beneficial for weight loss and medicinal for diabetes and other health concerns.

Snack Innovations: Create a range of snacks incorporating Acha (Fonio) as the primary or secondary ingredient. Consider adding dehydrated fruits, nuts, coconut flakes, dried mushrooms, or even developing cocoa-based products.

Remember, your product designs aren't confined to the Nigerian market. Aim for a global perspective, exploring markets across Africa, abroad, and among the diaspora. Craft world-class products.

This insight is a sneak peek from my forthcoming book. To be on the waiting list, share your email and number. As a consultant in agriculture value chains, I am here to guide you. Reach me at 0706 247 5733 or iniobong4solution@gmail.com.

Let's embark on this journey of transforming Acha (Fonio) into a lucrative venture together!

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In our agrarian communities, pervasive poverty persists among farmers, not necessarily due to land or machinery shortages but a lack of awareness to break free from poverty's grip.

Farmers must shift their mindset, moving away from traditional practices toward collaborative, productive methods. Agriculture is not a poverty invention but a lucrative enterprise fostering shared prosperity.

Recognize your pivotal role in shaping the nation, understanding the value you bring. Don't bear all the risks alone. As cooperative members, consider selling your produce before planting. Engage with offtakers, financial institutions, insurance, and stakeholders who can invest before planting.

This process, although challenging, is achievable through partnerships with banks, offtakers, industrial buyers, or exporters. Some farmers, including foreign ones, plant extensive hectares for specific industries in Nigeria, although not applicable to all crops.

This transformative opportunity breaks the cycle of poverty, fostering shared prosperity by distributing risks. Embrace this shift, and ask yourself: How can we collectively elevate our farming communities and create a sustainable future?

Embrace smart farming this year! Don't just grow crops—think value addition. Turn your yam, cassava, and potatoes into flour, cubes, and flakes. Convert soybeans, groundnuts and sesame seeds into oil, cake, and branded kuilkuil.
Consider processing your chicken for supply to restaurants or supermarkets.

There's no limit to what you can add value to. One can add value to anything. Processing is just one way; you can also explore transport, warehousing, and tapping into larger markets. Adding value increases your income.

Let's discuss how you're adding value to your produce today ?

What sets Nigerian Jollof rice apart from the Ghanaian version is the array of spices used in its preparation, playing a pivotal role in shaping its distinctive taste. Spices hold a crucial place in our culinary experiences, not only enhancing flavors but also offering rich colors and medicinal benefits.
So, what exactly are spices?
Spices are dried plant parts known for their potent, distinctive aromas and healing properties. They find applications in cooking, beverages (like tea), preservation, perfumery, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. With 50 spices of international importance and thousands of lesser-known varieties, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to introduce local spices to the global stage. The global spice trade is valued at billions of dollars annually.
Navigating the Nigerian Spices Space reveals a fierce battle between foreign and indigenous brands for control. Foreign brands dominate with well-positioned packaging and heightened visibility.
Let's explore three common spices planted and traded in Nigeria:
Ginger: A globally traded spice, available fresh, dried, or in powdered form, used in various applications such as food, drinks, oils, perfumes, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Currently, a ton of dried ginger fetches N3,500,000.
Pepper: Essential for most Nigerian dishes, with different varieties – black, green, red, and yellow – each contributing a distinct flavor.
Turmeric: A spice within the ginger family and a key ingredient in popular curry blends.

While Saffron, the world's most expensive spice. It is more expensive than Gold per ounce. It is not native to Africa or Nigeria, adapting it to local conditions could usher entrepreneurs into an exclusive "Millionaire Club."

Opportunities for Entrepreneurs in the Spice Business:

Farming: Entrepreneurs can cultivate spices like ginger, pepper, onions, and turmeric in tropical regions, with the option to sell locally or explore export markets.

Trading: Engage in spice trading by purchasing from farmers at the farm gate, processing, and selling to exporters or factories. Understanding specifications and harvest timing can leverage price differences for profitable trading.

Packaging and Branding: Entrepreneurs can create a unique spice brand with attractive packaging, ensuring uniqueness and strategic positioning.

Private Labelling and Contract Manufacturing: Despite being in its early stages, entrepreneurs can capitalize on private labelling for clients and contract manufacturing in the spice industry.

Aggregator: Positioned as an aggregator, entrepreneurs can exert influence with farmers and the industry, facilitating financing and streamlining trade operations.

This extract is a preview from my upcoming book, ( if you want to be in the waitlist you can email me at iniobong4solution@gmail.com)
I offer insights into the agricultural value chain. If inspired to take action, please reach out at 0706 247 5733. Share this write-up to join our journey of creating wealth in the agricultural sector.

With food inflation rising over 28% this past year, many Nigerians now spend most of their income just to eat. As a farmer or anyone interested in agriculture, it is crucial to make thoughtful choices about what to plant in 2024 to maximize revenues.

Let's break it down into three main categories

1. ATM (Anytime Money):
For farmers facing daily bills in a challenging economic climate, focus on crops that generate revenue consistently. Vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, pepper, ugu leaves(fluted pumpkin), spinach, and cucumber fit the bill. Imagine making up to N1,000,000 weekly from a one-hectare ugu farm.( a wrapper of ugu cost N45,000 price goes hihher during dry season)Remember, hunger doesn't follow seasons, so consider irrigation and global best practices.
Midterm Crops:
Opt for crops with a growth cycle of 3 months to 1 year, such as maize, soybeans, beans, rice, guinea corn, and ginger. Understand market demands, industry specifications, and prioritize high-yield varieties. Shift away from subsistence farming; this is the era for groups or cooperatives to attract finance for large-scale mechanized farming. Picture a cooperative managing 500 hectares of ginger farm or 600 hectares of corn quarterly.

3. Economic Trees for Retirement:
Consider long-term investments in economic trees like palm, cocoa, or coconut. Whether expanding gradually or through cooperatives, investing in two hectares annually can lead to significant revenue after five years.

Key Tips:

Plan according to your location and goals.
Develop a detailed business plan and strategy before starting.
Approach agriculture as a business.
For [color=#000000][/color]Further Guidance, Contact Iniobong at 0706 247 5733.

Thinking Beyond the Norm:
Ever wondered why we only find sardines in tins preserved in olive oil? What if we took that idea further? Imagine packaging snails in sesame oil or exporting pepper ponmo – possibilities that could transform local markets and reach global audiences.

As entrepreneurs and farmers, let's break free from being mere suppliers of raw materials. Why not produce chocolate in Africa and sell to the world?
Africa contributes a substantial amount to the $200 billion cocoa value chain, yet it receives less than $10 billion for supply raw cocoa. It's time to add value to our produce.

To eradicate poverty in rural communities, prioritize adding value to our agricultural products. Start small – consider processing and selling semi-processed goods or finished products. Nigeria, with its abundant yam and cocoyam production, could explore opportunities like yam flour, cocoyam flour, yam cubes, or yam flakes.

Concerned about costs? Begin with commonly used machines and scale up as demand increases. Take tomatoes, for instance – farmers can turn them into paste by forming cooperatives and venturing into manageable-scale processing. This could significantly reduce unemployment and poverty in agrarian communities.

In today's economic reality, think of adding value as an income booster, especially through farm cooperatives. Simple steps can lead to significant changes in the agricultural landscape.

Connect for More:
Excited to learn more? Please email
at Ini4perfection@gmail.com if you want it in your mail or chat on 0706 247 5733. Let's explore how innovation in farming can increase profits and create a brighter future.

Struggling with low crop yields and minimal profits? You’re not alone. Many Nigerian farmers tirelessly tend their small plots only to reap disappointment come harvest. It’s frustrating to put in long days working the land with little financial reward to show for it.

But what if you could turn things around this year with one valuable but overlooked crop? What if you could capitalize on high market demand locally and globally, with prices up over 300% in two years?

My fellow farmers, that crop is ginger. Due to disease damaging ginger crops in Southern Kaduna coupled with rising export demand, ginger prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. One 50kg bag that sold for 12,000 naira in 2022 now commands 45,000 naira. With the right techniques, you can yield up to 8 tons of ginger per hectare. At current prices, that equals at least 6 million naira revenue from fresh ginger for you.

The opportunity doesn’t end there. By drying your harvested ginger before selling, your income doubles to over 14 million naira per hectare planted. And Nigeria remains positioned as a top ginger exporter with our product commanding premium pricing internationally up to $4,000 per ton.

The time is now to capitalize on this ginger goldrush. Any well-drained soil can grow ginger despite myths claiming otherwise. While ginger seedlings remain affordable, procure what you need for sizable plantings. Join me in embracing ginger farming – a proven path to profitability, financial stability, and a prosperous 2024. Our fields await a bountiful future if we take action together!

MrPristine:
For hire or for sale

Please read the whole tread . Thank you

I buy two to three loaves of bread for the family every other day because bread is seen as meal and also as snacks, unfortunately this habit is now been challenged because of the price increases.

In the last three months, the price of common bread has been hitting the roof, bread now is moving into the luxury goods section because the masses might not afford it again if the current trend continues, maybe the second most consumed food in Nigeria after rice is not “common”.

They say that when two elephants fight they grass suffers, we have become the grass as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine. How do we find ourselves inside this cauldron? The nation has been so comfortable with the high import of food that we have failed to find a substitute for wheat and as such we are suffering this present predicament.

Fortunately, we can replicate what happened in the beer Industry in the late 90’s when the stakeholders decide to replace Barley with Sorghum . This can be done in the bakery Industry.

We have substitute for Wheat in Nigeria that we can process into flour , Cassava ( highest producer in the world) , Yam( highest producer in the world), potatoes , Acha(Hungry rice) , Rice ,plantain and a lot more.

If we get this alternative right we can also export our brand of flour to other countries thus cushioning the volatility In the Forex market . Entrepreneurs must take up this challenge as an opportunity, we must not always wait for the government. Find a healthy and cheaper substitute. It must not always be bread made from wheat flour . Taste the bread made from plantain flour then you know that we are improvising our pocket by not exploiting these alternatives.

ABG2222:
Wonderful thread, looking forward to start one day

Nice , just start and be unique the opportunities are numerous.

Thanks

Growing up I didn’t like seeing sliced onions in my meal, I had two options either to eat it like that or secretly select it and dispose but as I grew older, I started to blend it so I won’t have to see it but enjoy the flavour. I know some people can resonate with this. Onions as a spice has others ways which we can add to our meal, if you belong to my group that don’t like seeing it in meal, it could added be in form of dry Onions flakes or Onions powder.


I don’t think that you can cook any meal without spice except on health grounds. The spice industry in Nigeria in the last two decades to me has not changed much. This is an industry that an entrepreneur can think outside the box and bring a lot of innovation into play.
However, foreign products have taken over 70% to 80% of the our supermarket shelves. Some even buy without knowing the ingredients in some of the foreign products, do we blame them, no. We are not innovative with the indigenous spices that we have, in processing and packaging. As it is say that that “nature abhor a vacuum” and the foreign products are filling up the vacuum.


Have you ever been curious to take a critical look at the ingredients in some foreign spice., I did and I found out that some have sugar and starch . For starch I could understand because it could either be used as a binder, stabilizer or thickener although some could use it to increase the product quantity, but for sugar in these age where people are health conscious. Do you see why you should get into the game ? This is the ones I know they maybe other preservative that could be addictive.


To take part in this 17.75 billion market , you don’t need to think like Elon Musk, just a bit of innovation, take what we have already and blend for example, take a bit of dry pepper , a bit of crayfish powder and onions powder and boom a recipe has been created and a brand has been brith. Spice can come in any of this form;


1. Seasoning cubes
2. Sachet form ( dry , crushed )
3. Fresh
4. Puree
5. Blend into a product , for example take egusi blend and add powdered crayfish,pepper and dehydrated onions and a bit of salt and boom you have a product . A unique Package to stand out.


You don’t need to start big you can start from the comfort of your kitchen, show and sell to friends and relatives, use the social media to promote and sell. As you gain traction and scale then meet NAFDAC to enter your next phase of growth, if you are in Nigeria.

Theophinio:
You are really worth listening to in regards to "Creating Wealth Through Agriculture".

Thanks a million .

Thanks a million

As a farmer when you add value to your produces you could double or triple your earnings. A farmer can add value to all his produces. Our consideration today will be groundnut. I will try to compare gross earnings from selling raw groundnut vis a vis processing groundnut in this write-up.
Nigeria is the third largest producer of Groundnut in the world, the first in Africa. Groundnut is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. Depending on the variety it takes three to four months to mature, which means that it could be planted twice or thrice a year. The yield per hectare ranges from 3 to 5 metric tonnes or more if the best agronomic practices is adhered to.
Groundnut can be processed into many things either as a main product or as a secondary product, but not limited to the ideas mention here;
1. Fried groundnut ( you can fried your groundnut with spice or even with honey).
2. Groundnut oil
3. Groundnut butter
4. Groundnut cake for animal feeds
5. Groundnut biscuits
6. Peanut burger
7. Kulikuil

In this writeup, I will draw a comparison between a farmer who plants groundnut and sells as a raw material and the one who processes it into groundnut oil, groundnut Cake(used as animal feed) and groundnut sludge.
As of January 2022, a ton of groundnut was going for N600,000. Which means if a farmer produce at least 3 tonnes of groundnut from one hectare, he will make a gross revenue of N1,800,000. ( After 3 months)
However, if a farmer decides to plant groundnut and process same to groundnut oil and groundnut cake and ofcourse there will groundnut sludge.
As of January 2022, 25 liters of groundnut oil was retailing for N30,000 and 1kg of groundnut cake was selling for N1,500 and 1kg of groundnut sludge was selling for N1000.
It is important to note that one metric tonnes of groundnut when process will give 420 litres of groundnut oil and 480kg of groundnut cake and 40kg of groundnut sludge . One must be careful as there is a specific groundnut type that gives higher oil quantity.
Using our 3tons of groundnut yield to illustrate the processing of these three items. From 3 tons of groundnut, one will make 1260 liters of groundnut oil, if you are selling 1liters of groundnut at N1200, it means that 1260 liters will be N1,512,000 .
For groundnut cake from 3 tons, one would get 1440kg of groundnut cake, if one is selling the cake at N1500 per kg that would be N2,160,000.
For groundnut sludge from 3 tons, one would get 120kg of groundnut sludge, if one is selling the sludge at N1000 per kg that would be N120,000 .
If you add up the amount made from this processing , you would found out that the farmer that process has double his revenue from the three processing that was done simultaneously (groundnut oil , groundnut cake and groundnut sludge) . He has made N3,792,000 .
A sweeter part of groundnut processing deal is if a farmer is packaging kulikuil or peanuts butter, the revenue is higher.

As a farmer wouldn’t it be better to double or triple your revenue by adding value to your produce ?

Three years ago, I was sourcing ginger in a remote village and I came across this state of the art building, an elegant structure with a beautiful finishing, the owner of the building is a farmer and my host at the time, residing in that agrarian community. Unfortunately, it is about 1% of farmers that know how to create wealth from what they do. My host is among the 1% that have the knowledge of creating wealth from farming.
If you took dinner last night or breakfast this morning all thanks to the farmer but unfortunately he didn't make much from the transaction. It is a shame.
One of the reasons why they didn't make much from farming is that most of them farmers have refused to change. We cannot keep doing what we have always done and expect great results. In order to see new results we have to start doing new things.
There are many ways in which farmers can create wealth, but in this write-up, I would explore only a few ways in which farmers can create wealth irrespective of his location.
Firstly, it is highly imperative that farmers come together as a group, this could be base on location, crops planted or common interest. There is a lot that they can achieve when they are under of one umbrella. These is a first signal of strength and it gives them a sense of recognition. As a group it is easier to do certain business, such as supplies to manufacturing companies that uses agro produces as a raw materials, can also be a force to get loans from banks, equipment financing, project financing and insurance. There are many things that can be done through this group.
Secondly, most farmers don’t understand the power of the internet and social media and as such can’t put it into use. As a farmer with the help of the social media you can sell your produce from the comfort of your farm. Buyers will come into your village to buy from you at your price. With a proper arrangement you can stock some designated supermarket in urban area with your produces. People can invest in your farming and profit sharing between parties, all with the help of the internet.
Thirdly, storage of farm produces is another means of creating wealth. It is not out of place for some farmers or coming under a group to have warehouse or silos in the agrarians areas. This can also be open to the public to invest in. A lot of agro produce are cheap during harvest season and price could go up to 150% increase in six to eight month however price could also fall. So to take advantage of this, the best time to store is during harvest and for a lot of these produce prices will always increase as we barely meet production demand . Farmers can manage warehouses for companies that have storage needs, there are other means of making money from storage.
Farmer can create liaison offices in the urban areas, this will serve as a business representative office for a lot of business that they will undertake in the cities .
These days exporting has been simplified one can export from the comfort of his kitchen. In 2020, the food industry in Nigeria was worth $46.55billion( from research and market)It is a big market to play in but most importantly you must invest in yourself and knowledge so that you can harness the opportunities available.

(Curated from my upcoming book)

January is always that month of the year when people come up with goals and for this goal to achieve reality it must be have time specific, relevant and they must be yard stick of measurement.
As a player in the agricultural sector do you have a goal, and is it measurable, is doable and is time specific? Do you know as farmer you could plan what you plant into this time measurement.

Short term crops
Medium term crops
Long term crops

For short term crops, one can decide to do crops(fruits and veggies) that take from 1month to 3months to harvest, crops that fall under this range are fruits and vegetables( tomatoes, pepper, Cucumber, spinach and watermelon etc). As a farmer understand how to make real money with these crops, in other words understand the business of this crops. For example, seasonality : Hunger is not seasonal so why should we in these age and time have crops in season? In Nigeria tomato is very expensive from May to July, can you take advantage of that season? With the price of tomatoes hitting the roof during that period? Supply so limited and demand escalating : do you have what it takes to produce tomatoes ready for the market during that period ? it’s not only tomatoes that have this market challenge, Other crops that have similar issues are beetroot, eggplant, garden egg, carrots and ugu(fluted pumpkin and a lot of other vegetables are seasonal. We should have these crops all year. The world has gone past the time of waiting for the rain to grow crops. So if you need to take advantage of this opportunity, may be you need to invest in knowledge. (soilless farming, irrigation farming and green house farming) and later you invest in infrastructure.
Another opportunity in short term farming is they growing demand for exotic vegetables and fruit in the country because of the increase in awareness of healthy lifestyle. Explore this space and take advantage. One can apply the “farm to table model” here.

Medium term crops
These are crops that take from six months to one year or more to harvest.( Cassava, Ginger, plantain etc. ) A combination of both the short term crops with the medium term would not be a bad idea depending on your capabilities.

Long term crops
Do we plan for retirement or does retirement come knocking? This is one strategy to use in planning for retirement depending on your age. Long term crops are crop that take from three years or more to reach harvest. These is not your regular crops that falls under short or medium term plan. This takes time, skills needed for management, perseverance and capital. Crops like palm tree, cashew tree, Apple( maturity faster and can grow almost everywhere in Nigeria) coconut, cocoa etc. However the are hybrid which has shorter maturity period, so this cuts of your waiting period.
One can intercrop short term crop or medium term crops together with long term crop or have them side by side to avail resources for the long term cropping .
The good thing about long term crop is that it is going to last for the next 40 years or more , depending on variety and the environment.
Everyone is not meant to farm but we all need to have goals and segment them into time frame.
What is your goal ?

(Extract from my upcoming book)

Nigeria is the highest producer of Cassava in the world( congratulations).

Wait a minute, it takes at least six to seven months to plant and harvest the earliest specie of cassava, some of the specie take up to one year to harvest. The average yield per hectare of cassava in Nigeria is 10 tons, it takes about three to four weeding activities or more before harvest.( If you don’t want to use herbicide) After all these, putting in your best in terms of the best agronomic practices and you sell for N50,000 to N55,000 per ton. Now compare this to someone who sells dry cassava chips for N250,000 per ton, it takes maximum about 7days to process it. There will be no cassava chips if you didn’t farm cassava, so at this point who makes more money, you the farmer who waited for six to seven months or more to sell for N50,000 a ton or the person who processes.

On the other hand would you rather process some of your cassava and make more money.
There are many things that you can turn your cassava into. In these days of healthy living you can do :

1. Spinach eba or Spinach fufu.( You can package it )
2. High quality cassava flour
3. Garri ( you can do Coconut Garri)
4. Odourless fufu
5. Starch( there are different uses of cassava starch, can also exported)
6. Abacha(Shredded Cassava flakes) sold in Nigeria and highly needed abroad sell for over £40 for 1kg( N28,000 for 1kg.
7. Cassava peels are processed into high quality cassava feed (HQCF) can also exported.
8. Ethanol

I don’t want to make this write-up a lengthy one, there are about 30 things that you can process your cassava into. So take advantage and process because as a farmer you are at the bottom of the production triangle,( you do the hard work and you are the least paid) so move from producing raw material into production of finished goods or semi finished goods, add value to your labour and smile to the bank.

Happy new year everyone, welcome to 2022 the year is filled and pregnant with a lot of opportunities, but to utilize this opportunities you must have a change of perspective and have wealthy mindset.

In 2022, don’t just farm do it as a business. Understand the market of what you are farming, who needs your farm produces , is it for home consumption or for industrial uses ? how much will it cost to farm? Do you understand seasonality of what you are farming, there are many crops that are expensive when it is farm out of season, can you take advantage of the season?(eg. Vegetables) How many tons of harvest are you expecting to harvest ? What will be your profit ? How much will you sell? where is the best place to sell? Or industry(factories) to sell to, You should understand price difference between in the rural area or in the cities? Sometimes you should have partnership with other farmers farming the same crops, develop a synergy and do supplies to factories that need your produces , maximize your profit you work hard for it, if you don’t, other will take advantage.

Secondly, can you find a way to add value to your farm produces, you will make more money by doing this. Can you turn some of your yam into yam flour, poundo yam, yam flakes? Can you turn your a portion of your cassava into High quality cassava flour( HQCF), cassava flakes , ethanol, binder and garri? Don’t sell all your bags of bags of beans package some into 3kg , 5kg and 20kg , that would be chaff free, sand free and stone free , so imaging have this in package, it would save time for the consumer. Can you can turn your plantain in plantain flour? If you are into fish farming don’t sell everything fresh, smoke and marinate some and sell dry or even export. If you farm Irish potatoes turn some into French fries , potatoes flour. So this is just processing, you can do storaged , even logistics from your farm to city is adding value . Repackaging into small quantities is also adding value(eg Beans , that is chaff free and stone free).

As a farmer you could also make money from farm waste, rice husk is packaged and used for soilless farming, it is also used for briquettes. Palm kernel shell is used for brake part and briquettes, egg shell and snail shell is turned into powdered and use as calcium for animal feeds.
For want of space , I will stop here, as a farmer there are many ways to make money this year . Take farming as a business. Happy new year.

hollywater:
I am very much interested in this. I need an exporting company to work with. I live in Germany. I can also work as a representative over here.

Happy new year . Please can you do me a mail , or send me a text or mail. Thanks

Hi, you can call. Thanks

Sell your foodstuff in Dollars and Pounds from the comfort of your kitchen.

There is a huge demand for Africa foodstuffs by Nigerians and African in America, UK and Europe, as a matter of fact there are over 15 million Nigerian residing outside Nigeria with majority residing in UK , USA and Europe.
One could exploit this opportunity by exporting foodstuff directly to consumers, eatery, restaurants, hotels and you could act as their agent’s to get foodstuff for them in Nigeria.
This present an opportunity to engage in foreign trade and have foreign currency($,£) in your account . The good thing about this is that you can package everything from your kitchen . Yes you heard me right that the packaging, the grading can be done from the comfort of your kitchen.
The volume of Nigerian export of foodstuffs to these countries is still on a very small scale considering the number of Nigerian over there , the few exporter can not meet the demand and this is a huge opportunity to tap into. One can take a step further by branding certain foodstuff over here and look for representatives over there.
This is your new selling price in pounds and dollars as at 10th December 2021
1. Egusi(4 ounce ) $11.89
2. Okazi leaf(25g) £4.99
3. Locust beans( 50g) £7.99
4. Periwinkle(100g) £7.50
5. Ukwa(1kg) £27.99
6. Garri (1.5kg) £8.99
I would further explain this in terms of weight and in relationship with the Naira. Assuming that the Dollar and Pounds on the street is hovering around N560 and N700 respectively.

1. Egusi(4 ounce ) $11.89 ( that is almost one cup(milk cup) going for N6, 658.40 while in Nigeria a cup is less than N200.

2. Okazi leaf(25g) £4.99 that is N3,493 while in Nigeria a handful of this is less than N1000( you will need to divide into 4 part for the quantities that is sold abroad .


3. Locust beans( 50g) £7.99 that is N5,593 for half cup of Iru ( fermented locust beans) while in Nigeria a full cup is less than N500

4. Periwinkle(100g) £7.50 that is N5,250 for half a cup of periwinkle , while a Full cup in Nigeria is less than N500

5. 1kg of Ukwa(bread fruit) £27.99 that is N19,593 while 1kg of Ukwa is less than N3000 in Nigeria .


6. Garri (1.5kg) £8.99 that is N6,293 for half custard rubber while in Nigeria a full custard is less than N2000
These is no joke , these are prices of Nigerian food stuff sold on eBay and Amazon. If you want to earn dollars, pound or foreign currency from your kitchen then this is the business for you to seriously consider now. What you need is the knowledge, the customer, your phone or computer and you are ready for business.
Do you know that you can export over 101 food item from Nigeria and your can create your own brand .
I will show you in an e-book how:
1. How to export 101 food items in Nigeria from the comfort of your kitchen.
2. How to get clients from abroad.
3. How to grade, package and shipping.
4. Website that can assist your business .
5. How to add value and brand your food stuff .

If you are interested in this send me a call, text or chat me on 08160233111 ( the ebook is not free.)

The 2021 ginger season is now open. There are many players in the ginger value chain, the farmers, local buyers, the seller, the middlemen, the hustlers, the foreigners (trooping to the local villages in their numbers) and lastly you can join the chain if you are positioned well.
This year(2021) ginger season had a lot of factors that worked in its favour, COVID-19 increased the awareness of taking ginger (not suggesting anything), the devaluation of currency affected the price of the commodity.
Despite all this, Nigeria produced 31 million metric tons of ginger while the demand is at 65 million tons that’s 34 million metric ton shortage waiting for you to fill in . However, Nigeria is the third largest producer of ginger in the world. Nigeria’s ginger is the best in the world for its aroma, pungency, high oil content and Oleoresin as its distinctive features.
Ginger open up this season with fresh ginger ranging from N100,000 to N120,000 per ton. Dry split ginger is now going for N900,000 per metric ton; actually this is the farmgate price. International price of fresh ginger hover from $1200 to $1500 per ton, while the price of dry split ginger is dancing around $3000 to $3500 per ton. Ginger powder sells from $25 to $30 per kg, while crystalline ginger flex goes between $3200 to $4000 per ton. Extracted ginger oil selling between $100 or $150 per kg.( Prices of ginger fluctuates like every other commodities )
So, how do you position yourself in this market ? There are different segments of the ginger value chain that you can decide to be a player in. One can decide to play in the farmgates level as a farmer or as an aggregator, from the aggregation centre, processing, distribution and warehousing ( one can do storage to maximize price or hedge against price ) can be undertaken.
Additional, One can decide to go into exporting the following ginger products:
1. Fresh ginger
2. Dry split ginger
3. Ginger powder
4. Crystalline ginger flakes
5. Ginger oil .
Another way to get into these ginger value chain is by being a ginger farmer , get a farm anyway that the soil is suitable for ginger farming . It is a myth that ginger only grows in southern kaduna, they only have more ginger farmers. This makes it why it’s a ginger hub. If you want to plant ginger in the next planting season, now is the best time to get your ginger rhizomes ( ginger seed).
Another means to get into the ginger value chain is by processing , one can process ginger into powder or extract oil from ginger, this pay premium in comparison to just exporting raw ginger without adding any value.
It’s also interesting to understand the different price options in the ginger value chain. There are three price models in the ginger valuechain, namely;
i)Farmgate price
ii) Aggregator price
iii) International price

The Farmgate price is where farmers sell straight from their farm or farmmarket and they don’t understand weight measurement and hence their price is per bag as a against per ton. The Aggregator buys at the farmgates .
The Aggregator price , they established their prices after processing and cleaning the products they bought at the farmgates prices. The aggregators process the products into international and export standard for exporting, he fixes his prices with consideration to what the international prices is.
The international price is one of the main factors that determine the farmgate price and also the Aggregator price. However this price is subject to the value we put in .
Any position you wish to play in the ginger value chain make sure that you are adding value and not just exporting raw material . This create wealth and employment along the value chain and trigger positive economic metric.

Do me an email on iniobong4solution@gmail.com with this thread as the heading or send me a chat on 08160233111

Ginger can be planted anywhere the soil meet the specification for ginger growth. It is just that Southern Kaduna has more ginger farmers than any other place in the country. So it appears to be the ginger hub for now .

The price of food has skyrocketed in the last three months. Nigerians have not had it easy, as inflation with currency devaluation is eating deep into our pocket. Before now, an average Nigeria spends 50% or 60% of his disposable income on food. The present reality reveals that an average Nigerian will be spending 70 to 80% of his income on food.

Unfortunately the price of food items continues to record significance increase with most of them not returning to their initial prices. Herein lay an opportunity that a lot of Nigerians have overlooked we have farming plots in the rural areas that are laying waste especially in our ancestral home. Even when you don’t have in your name you can lease from your village.
There are crops that can be planted and one will outsource the operation of the farm to capable hands. At the end of the period, You get your returns, both parties smile to the bank. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not proposing that you become a farmer. Although hunger affects everyone despite their social class. There are crops that you can plant once in awhile you pop in to see how they’re doing. To take this trail, make sure it is a medium or long term crop so that you are not overburdened visiting the farm. You can look at crops like ginger, cassava, plantain etc. One can even plants economical trees like pawpaw, palm trees, avocado pear etc. Agriculture is the “IN” thing now. It is even better when it is leverage with the Internet.
All things said, please don’t just dabble into this for the sake of additional source of income. Do your due diligence. Have a business plan and find capable hands to run it.