₦airaland Forum

RIP to the dead. We can say all we want about what Jumia should have or shouldn't have done. But the truth is that You can't prevent every unforeseen events. I hopw Jumia has a good compensation plan for staff that die on duty.

Them think say na keshi, lol

mrvitalis:
Boss please I want to ask... What do u think would he the viability of large scale pawpaw farming in state like... Osun or ogun or oyo with the main aim of supplying lagos??
Please boss reply

Looks good to me

Fortissimo:
This is coming quite late I know.

From the get go, I just felt I could trust this Jasper guy. And I liked his ideas. They were very clear and he wasn't begging anybody. Up till now, I haven't met him but I trust him because he obviously stands for something and is passionate about his work. He's also obviously a businessman but not criminally minded looking for a fast buck. He's strategic and knows that in the long run, reputation is key.

Jireh 1 was evidently a success. I had to pull out of Jireh 2 due to pressing matters, but I can't wait to resume partnership with this great guy. To me, it's obvious Jasper is going places. His insight is tremendous.

So Mr. jasper7, well done. But don't rest yet. I sent you a text. Try check this out https://www.britishcouncil.org.ng/enterprise-challenge. It may help in your quest to disrupt the agricultural sector.

We are solidly behind you.

Thanks for the vote of confidence bros.

teeone02:
@Jasper7, great courage and determination you have got. Well done

To be sincere, organic agriculture is the way to go but can this be truly sustainable without integration? I doubt it.
The agriculture of our time needs an holistic approach, putting into consideration a the elements of nature (that is dancing with nature).
I assure you that with (authentic technology) you will be smile all day long. Why? because you will be producing more with less.

I salute your courage.

Thank you very much sir. I appreciate your comment. You are msking a lot of sense in your comment.

Here is what some budhist monks who are 100% organic farmers in thailand taught about organic fertilizer and pest control.


UPDATE 3........
FERTILIZER AND PEST CONTROL.
My lectures are inside a Buddhist community. They are Vegetarians. Don't keep or eat animals of any kind. They believe in natural farming(organic). This village has practiced it for forty years and have amazing stories. They have varieties of organic fertilizers. Taught simple ways to produce yours.
Note the following points about pests according to them.( I am prepared to try everything)
# The closer your soil is to nature, the fewer pests...... Nature breeds some good worms, insects who naturally feed on pests but we destroy them through bush burning or chemical pesticides or herbicides.
# Plants in the forest don't have pest attack/or as much. Why. Think.
# Some plants protect others. There are more pests in single cropping than mixed cropping.
# There will be more pest when a crop is repeated on same soil.
# The organic pesticide doesn't kill pest but drives them
# There are local ways to drive them..... Use those ways but first let the soil be treated. Our soil need to be recovered.
# already made organic pesticide is available.
# When the soil is fully recovered, pest attack and diseases will reduce.

DeLaRue:
Went to shoprite this afternoon...and lo and behold, there was imported beefsteak tomato listed at N2,499 per kg!


Roma tomato was N799 per Kilo.


Importing tomato to sell at N2,499 per kilo is ridiculous.


I am sure if Shoprite offers to pay a few Nigerian farmers N850 per Kg, they will invest in greenhouses and produce these large beefsteak
tomatoes.


If any farmer can get things right concerning tomatoes, hmmm....the person has hit a goldmine.

Farmers need to step up their quality. Believe me, nobody will import tomatoes.

nbolaji:
urgent!
In need of serious cocoa farmer for urgent supply. if you have cocoa bean seed and ready to do business kindly send your price per tonne to

brainytech360@gmail.com

#NOTE
Supplier must be ready to provide samples to confirm the quality of your bean.

I want to cry!!! Cocoa is gold now o.

Nice one... We need more farm estates and farm settlements...

@Denn. You tried o... It's no easy feat at all. Takes a lot of patience and dedication to train a dog. Good job

Prodeegee:
Lovely. So help you God bro

Thanks Master

fayahsoul:
Food security is a matter of national security. This project can not be executed fully by the privated sector alone, government definitely has a part to play. There are laws, structures and regulatory agencies that need to be established first before the private sector can operate optimally. Unfortunately our gov. is parasitic and it will be the greatest stumbling block to such a project. The private sector strives on competition(selfishness) and their primary concern is maximum profit so they cant organize for a greater good. A regulatory arm of government, protectionist laws, marketing boards, subsidies, intel and general admistration, among other things, must necessarily be provided by the government. Otherwise what we will have is a disconnected, haphazard monopoly of distribution by a few capitalists over small scattered localized areas throughout the country.

You are missing the point here... I didn't argue that the government does not have a part to play. All I am saying is that if you are WAITING for government, get ready to wait for a long time.

fayahsoul:
yea it's an innovative concept but this cant be achieved solely by the private sector. A public private partnership (ppp) is required. In addition to what hipinnacle rightly suggested, we farmers need to first connect and form a powerful association that would be capable of lobbying the government into passing and creating the necessary laws and institutions required to effect such a link between farmers and consumers. With the advencements in communication technology this needn't be a daunting task. The will is what's lacking. So the ministry of agriculture must be part and parcel of this project. In fact if the farmers association is organized properly it should be able to form a commitee in the ministry both at state and federal level. We farmers dont realize the power we hold. We feed the nation for crying out loud!

If you are waiting for the government. Get ready to wait for a long time.

hipinnacle:
I have only b of d opinion that our major problem in this country is our attitude- self centeredness. Everybody is struggling it out on their own. If farmers come together to form associations, it is because of selfish interests. Parochial interest is d bane of Nigeria development. we all want to exploit one another

This same attitude is what we are experiencing in agric sector. no linkages btw d farmers n agro producers to the suppliers to d distributors. no ties. everybody is a farmer n a trainer n at the same time a marketer. Cognisance is not given to values n education again

At www.agromerchant.com,we designed this ecommerce to solve farmers challenge of marketing their goods but the problem has being that farmers are not even producing standards or not wanting to conform wt d rules. people are looking for easy way to enrich themselves. it wont work.

@Jasper, networking and believing ourselves is d way to go in Nigeria. a country that shy away frm building synergy wil not go far.

www.agromerchant.com has kickstarted the vision n we are already working towards looking at possibilities of building agro malls but my submission is one person cant do it. let us form a chain of networks n partner together esp. like minds like ours.

Nice one. Agromerchant is pioneering a revolution..

DICON2:
I am 100% sure that 3 stands can't give 50kg of cucumber.

I tire ooo.

@papabrowne. My big oga happy new year... You flatter me too much. Let's keep on hands on deck. Change is coming fast.

Pavore9:
Post harvest preservation, fine tuning marketing & the distribution channels, export orientation would create so much opportunities. Kenya presently exports on an annual basis, thousands of 40ft containers filled only with avocados..we must wake up!

True... Reading my mind as usual.

Newway2:
Publicity might take all your budget if you are not careful. I blv a simple working model cld be established & the success of such will advertise itself.

What is publicity?

Newway2:
At the collection point, are you going to be buying their products? If you are not, I doubt if this might work. Farmers need money NOW NOW & if you can't give them, they leave you & sell in the open market for less.

How many farmers collect cash at the spot in the open market? Lol... Funny. My brother I am a practising farmer, I know what will favour farmers and that's what I will offer them. Like I said, I can't start sharing my whole plan here.

Newway2:
1) Even though u be my Oga at d top, I disagree with some of the problems & solution u raised as I outline below.

You said:


Personally, I blv the 1st problem is PRESERVATION.
Most of food produced by farmers got wasted because of the availability of preservation medium/process.

We buy apples (imported from S.Africa) in Nigeria all year round at the same price no matter the season. I understand that these apples have been harvested & preserved in previous year b4 coming/getting to Nigeria.

How were they able to achieve that?
In my own little research, I found out we can implement simple preservation methods/technique that suit our unique condition/climate in Nigeria & that will solve this problem.
Even after distribution, you still nd preservation to make it last longer at the destination/shops b4 the home/table.

I stand to be corrected.

Your concerns have been duly noted. I'll just want you to know that everyhthing is down to good planning and organization. A simple farming time table eliminates some of these issues you brought up

zainabicy:
Gradually shifting from production 2 marketing-becoming d middle man

Lol.. If you put it that way, yes. All of us cannot squeeze our head in production. Who are we leaving marketing

for?

Kalusam:
Read the ideas you've got there; great we are thinking in the same direction even though we've not discussed about this previously . Was chatting with my friend last week on how his journey to his Dad's farm went...he told me something that let my jaw dropping! His Dad harvested and stored about 9 bags of Cocoa pods and they sold for 450k...my guy got a gift of 100k from Daddy for his 1 week stay, end of story. Now, Imagine if they were exporting them?

My brother cocoa is gold now o. It's craxy money. A kg sells for 800 in Nigerian market now

hotmas911:
@Jasper7 the way you are thinking is the way to go. I totally agree with you. Becoming a billionaire in dollars through agriculture in Nigeria requires thinking outside the box. So many problems with agriculture, those that will make the most visible impact are those who provide solutions to these challenges.
But if one has not found a way to get himself to experience these problems, one might not be able to see all the opportunities hidden in the problems. My advice to people is get started in agriculture but don't limit your thoughts to just growing crops. Get started, experience the problems and think.
For people like us agriculture is Eldorado! I'm following, great job you are doing here.

Nice one my boss... You inspire me alot.

My 2nd project for the year... Is my foreign exchange project. Setting up a cocoa plantation. I need cocoa money. Cocoa is the biggest non-oil export.

I used to be afraid of cocoa farming because of the disease issue. But I have been doing my research and things are looking good.
I have serious interest in the hard currency it attracts and my children will be born to inherit my investment.

5,000 hectares by 2020 is the target.
Can I do it? Yes? No? I think I can

Newway2:
Haba Oga @Jasper7!
U shld know better than that nah. If "guru" like u is asking such question, what do u want beginers like us do?
Anyway, @vanpeele has done justice to ur qusetion. But, biko; he no finish am............




I really want to commend u 4 ds effort & wish to state that ur actions has also re-inspired poeple like us to go all out for sack farming because of the numerous benefits most of which u have mentioned. Well done bros



Bros, am adding more benefits of sack farming below:
4. Sack farming prevent weeds from invading the plants thereby minimising/eliminating cost of herbicides.
5. If the soil used in d sack is treated well, u can use same soil many times.
6. In the events that a plant in sack is infected, it is easy to isolate & remove the affected sack thereby minimising infection to other plants.
All in all, sack farming reduces maintenace cost for the farmer.

I know why I asked him. He has his reasons. And he gave them. . I think using sack should be for specific reasons and his reasons are valid enough

So... That's my first plan. Get food distribution right. For the farmers and for myself. My plan is elaborate, can't share it all on NL.

Pavore9:
Between the farm and the dining table requires smart minds that will make the farmers happy to produce more and consumers happy with their shopping.

My point exactly!! Can I carve these words in stone and use them?

ajsans:
can you do it?YES

I hope so too.

We need fresh food outlets springing up in every major city. Just as ww have fast foods everywhere.

When I did the numbers with my business analysis team... The profit was off the roof. I had to call my investors and alert them of an opportunity they can tap into.

I am tired of buying my food from a dirty market. I woukd rather by from a place as neat as KFC.

I got to discover that the reason food is really expensive in Nigeria is because of the number of hands that our food have to pass through before it gets to our kitchen.

Farmer >> Marketer>> Distributor >> Wholesaler >> Retailer >> Consumer

The chain is too long... Each step adding their ridiculous profit margin. Thereby escalating the price. And leaving the farmer impoverished. See why I want to quit farming?

I want to make it a 3 step process
Farmer> Distributor>Consumer

Allowing the farmer to get good money for his endeavours. Abd allowing the consumer get quality with a fair price.

Can I do it? Maybe

DonChippy:
Another big problem Nigeria need to tackle is food processing.
I recently bought about 8 Onions for 50 bucks on my street. The woman simply gave it out because it usually get spoilt due to low demand and excess supply.
Just two months ago, this same woman sold three miserly Onions at the same price.

Same goes for pepper and tomatoes. You cannot imagine how much gets rotten even during shipment from the various farms.

That to me is a huge waste.

That's the imbalance I talk about. Why would everybody go and start producing onions at the same time? Just because that's the easiest period to produce. Processing food especially for vegetables is not as nutritious as eating it fresh. Most processed food are just garbage. For the amount of farmers in Nigeria, I don't think we should have excess of any product. At least for now. That's why I said I want to manage farmers. So that we can produce what is needed when it is needed. And put the rest of our energy in exportable products.

I have broken down my idea.

First step would be to set up a collection point, where farmers come and register their harvest... It can start twice a week and later become everyday.

Next step. Sign up some farmers, give them improved seeds, train them and allow them to farm. Draw a plan on how and when they'll farm in order to meet your specific needs at a specific time.

Step 3. Set up a fresh food outlet in any city of choice, with solid branding.

Step 4. Start publicizing.

Step 5. Train more farmers

Step 6. Set up more collection points and outlets

vanpeele:
Hello everyone,

I recently began a sack farming project to see how possible it was to grow cucumbers in sacks. I'll like to announce that it was a successful endeavour. For those who don't have land to farm on, you all have no more excuse. It's as easy as just putting soil (which is free) in a sack and that's it. I thank all the agric, vegetables and cucumber lords of this forum. Una don try and una still dey try. Please enjoy the pics...they speak better.

Please feel free to ask any questions...

Weldone sir... You are doing a great job. But if I may ask. Is there a particular reason you decided to use sack?

The first product of my restlessness was FOOD DISTRIBUTION. Nigeria's 4th highest Food import is FISH. Nigeria spends over 1 million dollars a day importing fish and other fish products.
One would imagine that with such statistics, fish farmers will be billionaires and hard to find. But yet in every corner of every city there are fish farmers crying about their inability to make sales... It's a problem.

I discovered in my research that farmers arr only able to sell at corners close to them. And most people around them don't need what they produce. That's why a basjet of tomatoes can be 1200 in jos and 7000 in Lagos or port harcourt or Owerri. Food distribution is poor. So I have set out to solve it.

Same goes for poultry farmers. Some farmers arr unable to sell their chickens and eggs. While some Nigerians are literally killing themselves to import this from cotonou and other nearby countries. PROBLEM!

Also I also had the misfortune of experiencing this in my Jireh Project. I knew I would have made more money if I got my marketing right. PROBLEM! I am fully motivated to solve it.

So late last year, I started work on solving it. Give you a little glimpse of what I have done so far.