₦airaland Forum

Where are the beneficiaries presently living?

l am now seeing this party as a proxy funded by a bigger one!

queenprecy:
hope d sch is growing bigger nw?

Very big. Start with a creche & gain first hand experience, which would come in handy as u expand into Nursery & Primary. Setting up a standard creche is not even cheap!

queenprecy:
I think d main problem in starting up a sch is fund,getting a land n a gud location also getting pupils. am not d talkative type becos it requires a lot of talking.thanks

Start from a neat 3bedroom flat.

queenprecy:
I don't want to start d school in my area becos dre are too many schools dre. I want d school to be in anoda area wre I can get pupils. thanks

My family own a school started in 1997, start with a creche.

seedorf011:
Please does anyone know any farm/ farmers that plants kale vegetable in Nigeria ?

Kale is also known as sukuma wiki in Kenya, is to kenyans, what ugu is to Nigerians. Why not post a photo of it.

A good development, saving the nation some foreign currencies.

9free:
Placed my order for 200pcs of blue and 400pcs of red strawberries seeds. Also 100pcs red grape seeds included. Expecting them to land naija from China in 1month time.
Thanks all.

Hope they would adapt.

9free:
I want to believe so, approximately fourteen fruits per pack

Ok. lt is just that my mind has now been wired around calculating prices of farm produce by weight.

9free:
A pack goes for N250 - N400 depending on who you're buying from and your negotiating skill

ls each pack up to 250g in weight?

manitoba:
I think the experience of Mr bode Oyeleke will come in handy when u want to start the grapevine. Never ever give up.

How long has he been into it?

lanre2009:
Seconded. And it would even make the strawberries more attractive. It shouldn't be too expensive getting the transparent packs.

The transparent packs will enhance the marketability.

Jesusbaby6:
yes sir, I have. I got inspired by all the post I have been reading in the agriculture section. I will surely make it by God's grace.

That is the spirit.

manitoba:
Below are some of the pictures of the grapes produced in Nigeria. I am sorry for doing this late. I had to take permission from the owner before posting or sharing it on any social media because i appreciate intellectual properties. Photo credit goes to the amateur lens of Mr bode Oyeleke(Mr Grapes Nigeria) .

It is truly inspiring, a proof that it is very possible in Nigeria, hope birds are not disturbing them. How big is his grape vine?

[quote author=9free post=31237278][/quote]How much does each pack go for? Strawberry is a visual crop and people are drawn by the colour, l suggest you try the packaging attached as that is what l see on the shelves of supermarkets.

Jesusbaby6:
i also ordered some grape seeds. already shipped from supplier. waiting for them to arrive naija its gonna be great. i ordered pink grapes

Love ur daring into "foreign" crops! l prefer eating the pink grapes in comparison to the purple. l hope you have learnt how to grow it.

jasper7:
Interesting one again. Crocodile farming looks like a potential money spinner, especially in Nigeria.

Crocodile farming in Nigeria? Two things will happen...either your crocodile farm become a 'hunting ground' for people who are into exotic meat, as your farm will become their night vigil camping ground or the Crocodiles go dey eye people imagining how they would taste in their mouth! Me l can't deal o before police carry their case come arrest person for the farm as they can't dare arrest the crocodiles that are the culprits,

One thing l like about Nigeria, is that nobody send you as it regards rearing some animals that which you can not try in Kenya, it seems their wildlife is more regarded than their citizens as animals are well protected. I see nchi (grasscutters)running in farms but dem be 'government pikin', you dare not touch them or imagine making pepper soup with them, else you will be serving some time in jail. We are so free in Nigeria.

asadike:
Pls ask that man in d pix to drop that toy!

Can you hold such 'toy'?

Samiceman:
I love the Creatures and am thinking of keeping one as a pet. If you have a pet crocodile or know someone who does pls your knowledge is needed

You can read this:

Daniel Haller leans on a concrete wall of what looks like a fish pond gazing keenly at the animals inside. His relaxed demeanour is assuring to visitors as Haller farms crocodiles for meat and skin.

“They are friendly animals,” says Haller as he smiles noticing the fear on our faces. “You only have to understand them and they won’t harm you.” The 48-year-old, who is one of the largest crocodile farmers in the region, runs Nile Crocodile Farm in Kikambala, Kilifi.

For close to 20 years, he has domesticated the animals that are mainly found in rivers, turning them into a money-spinner.Haller, who holds a Master of Science Degree in Aquaculture from the University of Stirling, Scotland, rears 40,000 crocodiles.

Seeds of Gold team finds him supervising workers as they transfer immobilised adult crocodiles to a spacious pond.

The son of Dr Rene Haller, an agronomist and founder of Baobab Trust Kenya, keeps the crocodiles mainly for skin which he sells to Heng Long Leather Ltd in Singapore. “Crocodile skin is used in production of wallets, handbags and shoes.”

MARKET FOR SKIN

“The skin is sold according to the belly width. The international market price for first grade skin of an animal which is five years old and about 190cm long is $150 (Sh13,350). The skin should be unblemished and high quality to get its full value, which reduces by 25 per cent if there is any blemish.”

Haller slaughters between 4,000 and 5,000 reptiles each year and preserves their wet-salted skin at three degrees centigrade.

“It is a business that requires a lot of attention to detail. You can lose all your money by producing skin which does not have the right quality. The risk is high and you can go bankrupt if after five years you do not get the right quality needed for the international luxury fashion industry. Quality standards also keep on increasing and the price fluctuates depending on demand in the global market.”

He sells the meat to tourist hotels and the local community at between Sh280 (N616) to Sh350 (N770) a kilo. In 2013 and last year, Haller says he sold 18,364kg and 15,800kg respectively.

The reptile farmer got inspiration to rear the animals from his father. The senior Haller, a renowned environmentalist who once worked at Bamburi Cement Ltd, introduced crocodiles to eat dead chicken and sheep on his farm in the 1970s to avoid wastage.

“My father felt that he had to find something to eat the animals and birds. He experimented and found that crocodiles were the best option,” says Haller, who later studied aquaculture in mid 1980s and upon return to Kenya in 1990s, he partnered with Harun Muturi, now deceased, to start the farm.

“We got a loan of $380,000 (Sh34.2 million) from European Investment Bank. Muturi also provided the money to purchase the land. We later got a licence from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to practice crocodile farming in 1996,” says Haller, adding that it is hard to value the farm since the worth of a crocodile is known when the skin is graded and the correct quality known.

A crocodile takes about five years to reach the culling age.

“I use 6,000kg of food daily to feed my 40,000 crocodiles. I feed the reptiles on animal innards from slaughter houses, cooked maize mixed with blood, meat and fish.”

Haller does not breed the crocodiles on his farm. And this is why; a crocodile starts laying eggs according to its length, at about 220cm which is around eight years.

COLLECT EGGS

“We have a centre along the banks of Tana River in Lower Tana Galili location where we engage residents to collect eggs for us between December and January left by the wild crocodiles. Each female lays about 32 eggs a year,” he explains.

“The eggs are delicate and if not handled correctly, they may not hatch. They should not be exposed to sunlight or temperatures above 36 degrees centigrade. Turning the egg also kills the embryo.”

Residents earn Sh20 for each egg collected and Sh25 bonus if they hatch.

After collection, the eggs are put in special field incubators.

“It takes between 76 to 90 days to hatch the eggs. Eggs are transferred three weeks before hatching starts to the farm’s incubators.”

After hatching, the young reptiles are kept in a greenhouse system with temperature regulated at 32 degree centigrade to give them the best metabolic rate to grow.

The animals do get sick from time to time. Some of the diseases are similar to those that attack chickens and they arise from the animal having stress due to bad management.

“Crocodiles are wild animals, you must always be careful when handling them to avoid getting bitten. The key, however, in the farming is to reduce their stress as much as possible so that they stay calm.”

According to Haller, the business is much regulated both locally and abroad as exports have to be traced from the source.
“There are strict conditions on monitoring, feeding and stock taking. You have to submit records to the KWS for monitoring and evaluation. Also, every season the operator must acquire a new licence for egg collection.”

Can a small farmer reap from crocodiles? “Yes, as long as he has food to feed them, particularly from slaughter houses or fish processing companies.

Papua New Guinea in the 1980s had many crocodile smallholder backyard farms. Families would hold between 10 and 50 animals. But I must confess the business requires substantial investment and knowledge.”

KWS Coast regional assistant director Mohamed Alio says a farmer intending to rare crocodiles has to apply for a licence stating where he will get his initial stock.

KWS officials will then visit the farm to inspect it and a licence will be issued.

During culling of the animals for meat and skin, another licence will be issued after the export market is disclosed.

The farmer should produce a letter from the destination company and country to be issued with tags for international trade.

“Once we get the documents, each skin is tagged with a serial number and we issue an export permit.”

Jesusbaby6:
i did not order from olx. ke, i ordered only seeds so i can propagate them myself. But please if there is still a way to get the ones from your end sent down here, i will appreciate.

l have asked Nigerian businessmen around and l still get the reply there is no means of sending things down from Kenya but from Lagos to Nairobi is N750/kg. I called cargo office of Rwanda Air and Kenya Airways and l am told l have to get documents from Ministry of Agriculture etc, So the best bet is still when you have someone visiting Kenya.

A failing economy provokes such.

OP, the picture am looking at does not match the impression you are creating! The room look so dis-organized, she no fit arrange am? How can one be confident in taking a picture in such a background?

Jesusbaby6:
I contacted you about this strawberry sometime ago. I sent the suppliers on olx.co.ke messages if they can send to Nigeria, but no response. I have ordered some seeds, they are yet to arrive, I just pray they do well.

l can recollect. Who did you order it from and through which means is it being sent to you?

They keep repeating the same thing!

l am still waiting for someone to be bold enough to come and swear with his/her eternity that it is only $1.48b that was truly missing.

Jbond:
U kiddin me? That's terrible.

You have not experienced some homes, l think fathers are more softened that 20 years ago though there had been fathers whose relationship with their family has always been loving.

ElFenomeno1:
Serves him right.

He is now in the village as his children refused to renew the house rent where they lived since their mum now lives with their married eldest sister & others living independently.

ElFenomeno1:

Am so happy the kids are all grown up and repaying him in his coin. l recall in 2011, he was telling anyone who cares to listen that his first son in the UK has ignored him totally.

Fathers (d ones that drops money for food) expects more "professionals" in their soup, reminding me of a family that lived near us while growing up, the wife cooks 2 pots of soup, one for she & d kids which is watery & bare, husband's own "loaded".

lt is not easy to finally get married!

mercylicious:
introducing ezeudene to our thread.
He is a pig farmer based in awka bt his farm is in Abatete. Any fellow pig farmer in d house?

l lived in Amaenyi, Awka.

@jasper7, l will try and get a congolese friend of mine who is a very good with cameraworks to go with me so we can do a short clean video of the visit, highlight everything from soil preparation, to bagging, planting, manuring, packaging etc.