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Showing posts with label It all about colour 'GREEN'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label It all about colour 'GREEN'. Show all posts
BoA in N40bn debt deficit – Minister
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has revealed that the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) is too weak structurally to be of any benefit to Nigerian farmers now.
He said the bank is in deficit to the tune of nearly N40 billion in debts.
The debt according to him dates back to twenty years ago and that the federal government is about to start measures to reposition the bank.
“The bank is structurally weak, it is not digitalized, and the management has to be strengthened and right now a programme is in place by the bureau of private enterprise to restructure and re-energies the bank.
“On the bank of agriculture, first the bank of agriculture is in deficit to the tone of nearly N40 billion in debts. Debts dating back 20 years ago. So they are very weak now. We are about to start measure to recover them,” he said.
He however revealed that the process will take about nine months, and this according to him will make bank the biggest in the country servicing the rural areas.
He said the federal government capital in the new bank will be about 20%, while private sector investment and the nearly 25 million farmers in this country will make up the rest.
He explained further that the bank will be operated in the line of the Rambo Bank of Holland and the Credit Agriculture of France.
“These two banks emerged towards the end of the 19th century because commercial banks were doing to farmers what commercial banks are doing to us now. They don’t loan to farmers, when they do, the interest rate are too high. So we are looking for a bank of agriculture strong enough in capital to lean cheaply for farmers.
“We need to give funds cheaply to people to farm, especially because we are asking the younger people in this country to get in to agric. The current interest rate regime can not sustain agriculture and that is where we are heading.
“The processes are slow but the CBN is working on it because the president is pushing and the Vice president is working on it and we expect investors like PENCOM, the new Nigeria development bank, foreign development banks and the World Banks as well will invest in this project but we can tell you that agriculture is on its way to the height where it was in the pass,” he said.
On the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), Ogbeh said the federal government not going with the GES because large part of the money owned the agro-dealers is from the state.
Many of the state according to the minister, relayed on what they owned on the ground that it was a transaction by the previous government and that their revenue are so low and they can’t afford the luxury of subsidy on fertilizer and inputs to farmers.
Saying the arrears that are being paid now was out of sympathy and responsibility towards the agro dealers, adding that: “We had to look for money from our own sources at the federal level to bear the liabilities of seeds.”
“At any rate the cost of the GES is such and the finances of this country are so lean now that GES is a luxury we may not continue with. We are working toward reducing interest rate to about 5% in agriculture. If we succeed in developing an agric fund to the level that we want to do in partnership with the central bank. Once we do, farmers will have to find their inputs on their own. We cannot afford the GES at this cost, and certainly not under this scandal,” he lamented.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has revealed that the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) is too weak structurally to be of any benefit to Nigerian farmers now.
He said the bank is in deficit to the tune of nearly N40 billion in debts.
The debt according to him dates back to twenty years ago and that the federal government is about to start measures to reposition the bank.
“The bank is structurally weak, it is not digitalized, and the management has to be strengthened and right now a programme is in place by the bureau of private enterprise to restructure and re-energies the bank.
“On the bank of agriculture, first the bank of agriculture is in deficit to the tone of nearly N40 billion in debts. Debts dating back 20 years ago. So they are very weak now. We are about to start measure to recover them,” he said.
He however revealed that the process will take about nine months, and this according to him will make bank the biggest in the country servicing the rural areas.
He said the federal government capital in the new bank will be about 20%, while private sector investment and the nearly 25 million farmers in this country will make up the rest.
He explained further that the bank will be operated in the line of the Rambo Bank of Holland and the Credit Agriculture of France.
“These two banks emerged towards the end of the 19th century because commercial banks were doing to farmers what commercial banks are doing to us now. They don’t loan to farmers, when they do, the interest rate are too high. So we are looking for a bank of agriculture strong enough in capital to lean cheaply for farmers.
“We need to give funds cheaply to people to farm, especially because we are asking the younger people in this country to get in to agric. The current interest rate regime can not sustain agriculture and that is where we are heading.
“The processes are slow but the CBN is working on it because the president is pushing and the Vice president is working on it and we expect investors like PENCOM, the new Nigeria development bank, foreign development banks and the World Banks as well will invest in this project but we can tell you that agriculture is on its way to the height where it was in the pass,” he said.
On the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), Ogbeh said the federal government not going with the GES because large part of the money owned the agro-dealers is from the state.
Many of the state according to the minister, relayed on what they owned on the ground that it was a transaction by the previous government and that their revenue are so low and they can’t afford the luxury of subsidy on fertilizer and inputs to farmers.
Saying the arrears that are being paid now was out of sympathy and responsibility towards the agro dealers, adding that: “We had to look for money from our own sources at the federal level to bear the liabilities of seeds.”
“At any rate the cost of the GES is such and the finances of this country are so lean now that GES is a luxury we may not continue with. We are working toward reducing interest rate to about 5% in agriculture. If we succeed in developing an agric fund to the level that we want to do in partnership with the central bank. Once we do, farmers will have to find their inputs on their own. We cannot afford the GES at this cost, and certainly not under this scandal,” he lamented.
BoA in N40bn debt deficit – Minister
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has revealed that the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) is too weak structurally to be of any benefit to Nigerian farmers now.
He said the bank is in deficit to the tune of nearly N40 billion in debts.
The debt according to him dates back to twenty years ago and that the federal government is about to start measures to reposition the bank.
“The bank is structurally weak, it is not digitalized, and the management has to be strengthened and right now a programme is in place by the bureau of private enterprise to restructure and re-energies the bank.
“On the bank of agriculture, first the bank of agriculture is in deficit to the tone of nearly N40 billion in debts. Debts dating back 20 years ago. So they are very weak now. We are about to start measure to recover them,” he said.
He however revealed that the process will take about nine months, and this according to him will make bank the biggest in the country servicing the rural areas.
He said the federal government capital in the new bank will be about 20%, while private sector investment and the nearly 25 million farmers in this country will make up the rest.
He explained further that the bank will be operated in the line of the Rambo Bank of Holland and the Credit Agriculture of France.
“These two banks emerged towards the end of the 19th century because commercial banks were doing to farmers what commercial banks are doing to us now. They don’t loan to farmers, when they do, the interest rate are too high. So we are looking for a bank of agriculture strong enough in capital to lean cheaply for farmers.
“We need to give funds cheaply to people to farm, especially because we are asking the younger people in this country to get in to agric. The current interest rate regime can not sustain agriculture and that is where we are heading.
“The processes are slow but the CBN is working on it because the president is pushing and the Vice president is working on it and we expect investors like PENCOM, the new Nigeria development bank, foreign development banks and the World Banks as well will invest in this project but we can tell you that agriculture is on its way to the height where it was in the pass,” he said.
On the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), Ogbeh said the federal government not going with the GES because large part of the money owned the agro-dealers is from the state.
Many of the state according to the minister, relayed on what they owned on the ground that it was a transaction by the previous government and that their revenue are so low and they can’t afford the luxury of subsidy on fertilizer and inputs to farmers.
Saying the arrears that are being paid now was out of sympathy and responsibility towards the agro dealers, adding that: “We had to look for money from our own sources at the federal level to bear the liabilities of seeds.”
“At any rate the cost of the GES is such and the finances of this country are so lean now that GES is a luxury we may not continue with. We are working toward reducing interest rate to about 5% in agriculture. If we succeed in developing an agric fund to the level that we want to do in partnership with the central bank. Once we do, farmers will have to find their inputs on their own. We cannot afford the GES at this cost, and certainly not under this scandal,” he lamented.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has revealed that the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) is too weak structurally to be of any benefit to Nigerian farmers now.
He said the bank is in deficit to the tune of nearly N40 billion in debts.
The debt according to him dates back to twenty years ago and that the federal government is about to start measures to reposition the bank.
“The bank is structurally weak, it is not digitalized, and the management has to be strengthened and right now a programme is in place by the bureau of private enterprise to restructure and re-energies the bank.
“On the bank of agriculture, first the bank of agriculture is in deficit to the tone of nearly N40 billion in debts. Debts dating back 20 years ago. So they are very weak now. We are about to start measure to recover them,” he said.
He however revealed that the process will take about nine months, and this according to him will make bank the biggest in the country servicing the rural areas.
He said the federal government capital in the new bank will be about 20%, while private sector investment and the nearly 25 million farmers in this country will make up the rest.
He explained further that the bank will be operated in the line of the Rambo Bank of Holland and the Credit Agriculture of France.
“These two banks emerged towards the end of the 19th century because commercial banks were doing to farmers what commercial banks are doing to us now. They don’t loan to farmers, when they do, the interest rate are too high. So we are looking for a bank of agriculture strong enough in capital to lean cheaply for farmers.
“We need to give funds cheaply to people to farm, especially because we are asking the younger people in this country to get in to agric. The current interest rate regime can not sustain agriculture and that is where we are heading.
“The processes are slow but the CBN is working on it because the president is pushing and the Vice president is working on it and we expect investors like PENCOM, the new Nigeria development bank, foreign development banks and the World Banks as well will invest in this project but we can tell you that agriculture is on its way to the height where it was in the pass,” he said.
On the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), Ogbeh said the federal government not going with the GES because large part of the money owned the agro-dealers is from the state.
Many of the state according to the minister, relayed on what they owned on the ground that it was a transaction by the previous government and that their revenue are so low and they can’t afford the luxury of subsidy on fertilizer and inputs to farmers.
Saying the arrears that are being paid now was out of sympathy and responsibility towards the agro dealers, adding that: “We had to look for money from our own sources at the federal level to bear the liabilities of seeds.”
“At any rate the cost of the GES is such and the finances of this country are so lean now that GES is a luxury we may not continue with. We are working toward reducing interest rate to about 5% in agriculture. If we succeed in developing an agric fund to the level that we want to do in partnership with the central bank. Once we do, farmers will have to find their inputs on their own. We cannot afford the GES at this cost, and certainly not under this scandal,” he lamented.
After years of the refrain on diversifying the Nigeria economy, reality has brought Agriculture to the to the forefront of opportunity for growth and employment. Nigeria was going into a rapid transit, southbound. The imperative of now is produce or die. Agriculture as the redemptive balm now seeds to be reborn in the socialization of the citizen.
How important this need is, can be seen in the food import bill of Nigeria. From being the major source of foreign earnings in the first independence decade, food and Agriculture input into manufacturing have become a foreign exchange drain burden.
Once upon a time Nigeria was known to have the highest yield per hectre for Rubber in the world but between 210 and 2015 Rubber Accelerators, Natural Rubber and Rubber pipes and tubes cost us more than 500 trillion Naria. Even Palm Oil in which we were a globally leading exporter is now a foreign exchange drain of huge proportions according to a publication of the Raw materials Research and Development Council.
Pat Utomi
Founder CEO, CVL
Government plans aim to boost sector development medium-term goal self-sufficiency in a number of key staples such as Rice, Cassava, Cocoa and to develop the agribusiness sector and export markets.
"Praise Like Never Before" Come and lay your burdens before God in praise. 13th August 2016.
Venue :73 Ademola street, off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi. Time:3pm.
Host: OBJ and Anita
Make it a date and come expectant, Because when the praises go up His blessings/Glory comes down.
Nigeria apex bank, the CBN has revealed that it granted N1.244 billion in loan for the nation’s agricultural sector between May and June 2016.
According to its reports of activities under the agricultural credit guarantee scheme, the apex bank said it gave credit facility of N561.8 million in May and another N683.1 million in June 2016.
While in May, it extended the loan facility to 3,741 businesses across 24 states of the federation as the tally was raised to 4,774 businesses across 28 states in June, with both facilities excluding Cross River, Bauchi, Jigawa, Lagos, Sokoto and Yobe states.
Governor of the apex, Godwin Emefiele, had reiterated the bank’s commitment to supporting agriculture amongst other sectors of the economy.
“We are confronted, as a nation, with a wide range of development challenges especially with the dwindling global crude oil prices and the nation’s dependence on it as its major source of revenue,” he had said at a workshop on agricultural innovation.
He said: “There is need to diversify the mono-cultural tendencies of the economy by developing other sectors of the economy, especially agriculture.”
Emefiele had also approved the appointment of substantive Managing Director and Executive Director (Technical) for the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in December 2015.
by Agri Report August 09, 2016 LATEST NEWS
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has called for a ban on the export of primary farm produce as part of strategies to ensure food sufficiency in the country.
Aregbesola made the call in Osogbo on Sunday in a statement he issued by his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon.
The governor opined that the ban would enhance the value chains of the nation’s agricultural investments.
He also urged government to fashion out measures that would make agriculture to be attractive to a new generation of young Nigerians.
He noted that this would be viable option towards economic diversification, adding that Nigeria had yet to show serious efforts towards making farming a viable venture.
“We should stop exporting primary produce and start adding value.
“The value of a kilogramme of exported cocoa beans increases 5,000 per cent by the time it comes back as chocolate,’’ the governor said.
Aregbesola said the nation’s agriculture must be directed towards producing what the country needs and not what it could only export.
“The orientation of our agriculture towards producing raw materials, especially cash crops, for the industries in Europe and the America must be reversed.
“Agriculture is needed primarily for food production; only well fed people can drive economic development.
“Good nutrition is the primary basis of good health which drives productivity and energy,’’ he said.
There are good reasons why farming in Nigeria is currently doing very well and understanding these reasons will help any serious entrepreneur (no matter where he comes from) to think seriously about setting up Farm in Nigeria. (1) There is no any other African country where Farming is as viable as it should be in Nigeria in terms of productivity and profitability. (2) There is no other country where farmers are more advantaged as they are in Nigeria as regards demands — take a look at my top five reasons you need to start Farming in Nigeria now.
Farming in Nigeria has taken a dramatic turn to better directions in recent years, creating jobs and opportunities for Entrepreneurs who dare to go into farming Business. Millionaires are currently being made every year through Farming in Nigeria and there is no end to the prospects of creating more and more wealth through farming in the coming years.
There are good reasons why farming in Nigeria is currently doing very well and understanding these reasons will help any serious entrepreneur (no matter where he comes from) to think seriously about setting up Farm in Nigeria. (1) There is no any other African country where Farming is as viable as it should be in Nigeria in terms of productivity and profitability. (2) There is no other country where farmers are more advantaged as they are in Nigeria as regards demands — take a look at my top five reasons you need to start Farming in Nigeria now.
5 Reasons Why Farming in Nigeria is Irresistible
(1) Nigeria has a huge population of over 180 Million people, twice more than the populations of Zimbabwe and South Africa combined. The entire population of Nigeria depends on staple foods produced from farms and other farm produces for their daily meals and sustenance — and more than 80 percent of Nigerians buy their Farm Produce from the market.
(2) Nigeria has very large expanses of fertile farmlands laying fallow for nothing. Nigeria Land area when measured in sq km is about 910,770. The Land area of any country is the country’s total area, excluding areas that are considered to be water bodies. So, Nigeria has one of the biggest expanse of Land in Africa of which 70 percent is available for Farming.
(3) Nigerian Government is seriously turning it’s attention to promoting Farming in Nigeria to help boost food productions in the country and minimize foods importation. The government is willing to assist any would be Farming entrepreneur/investors with the necessary supports and logistics.
(4) Nigerians have very high purchasing power, far more than any other indigenous Africans — we buy things here and we pay cash! Talk about parties, Nigeria is the most merriment people on earth — the foods used for parties and merriment in Nigeria yearly can feed four other African countries.
(5) By the time Nigeria attain it’s full capacity utilization is agriculture, Farming in Nigeria will become great foreign currency earner more than as it already is. The implication is that Nigerian Farmers will be able to earn in Naira and in Dollars as well as Euros and Pound Sterling.
The prospect for Farming in Nigeria is so high that only a fool will ignore it. Having said that, let’s take a closer look at some of the types of Farming that does very well in Nigeria.
Top 10 Lucrative Farming in Nigeria
1. Rice Farming – Nigeria has one of the world’s highest Rice consumption stat. Rice is by far one of the most popular staple food among Nigerians, almost every family eats rice daily in Nigeria. In 2011 alone, Nigeria spent N991 Billion on Rice importation and the rice we import is said to be nothing less than 10 years old in storage. That means we spends billions buying Rice that has since lost it’s nutritional values.
Any entrepreneur in Nigeria who goes into Rice Farming and get it right is sure to be smiling to the bank. A bag of Rice is currently sold for N8,000 to N10,000 depending on the quality. A farmer who is able to invest in large scale Rice Farming in Nigeria and produced 100,000 Bags of processed Rice in a year, sell at wholesale price of about N7,000 per bag, he will be making 7,000 x 100,000 = N700,000,000 ($5.5 Million)
You can achieve the above figures conveniently with less than Two hundred million Naira ($1.3 Million) capital investment! I’m currently looking for who to partner with in this. If you have the cash, I have the logistics and good plannings to achieve that. Serious investors only!
2. Cassava Farming -The popularity of cassava as the major source of food for Nigerians dates back to ages. Between Garri and Rice, it’s hard to tell which one is the most popular as both are the most consumed food staples among the citizens — I think if one is the King the other should be the Queen.
A bag of Garri costs almost the same as a bag of rice, and apart from garri, there are tens of other food stuffs that are processed from Cassava in Nigeria. The introduction of the high yield species of Cassava has made it possible for Nigerian Cassava Farmers to produce more Cassava per plot. Nearly every land in Nigeria is good for growing Cassava and 1 Acre, when properly planted and managed can produce Thousands of Naira worth of Cassava in a year!
3. Plantain Plantation – One thing I like about Plantain is that when planted once, it keeps producing year in year out for eternity. Like Rice and Garri, Plantain is widely consumed in Nigeria and you know — any food that is popular in Nigeria is always a huge income earner due to the population of the country.
I really haven’t seen Farmers in Nigeria taking advantage of the opportunity in Plantain Farming to create wealth for themselves. Plantain is highly priced in Nigeria and is always in high demand all year round. Fry it, Boil it, Roast it — it will never get angry with you, that’s how liberal Plantain is. I can tell you, Millions of Naira is currently lying fallow untapped in this sector of Farming in Nigeria.
4. Poultry Farming – Everyone knows how ‘Cashy’ this one is, it doesn’t need much introduction and yet it’s still not fully tapped. What we currently have are few badly managed, scantily equipped poultry farms here and there. I’m yet to see a full fledged, high tech Poultry Farm as it is in The USA and Europe except Obasanjo’s Farm which I don’t think is currently in serious business.
Any serious entrepreneur who is able to fire this up will have huge profit to contend with. The reason is because Nigerians eat chicken more than snakes do and 70% of our consumption still based on importation. The egg is yet another goldmine!
5. Pineapple Farming – Money is sweet, everything sweet is money, and Pineapple is sweet. Ask any Australian Farmer and he will tell you how huge the income in Pineapple Farming is in their country. Any juice maker that doesn’t have Pineapple flavor variety in his product line is not yet in business. That tells you how popular Pineapple is, not only in Nigeria but Worldwide.
Nigeria seems to have better soil for Pineapple Farming than Australia where Farmers are making it big in the business. A Pineapple sells in Mile-12 market in Lagos for about N200 — If you are able to harvest one million in a year, you will earn least N80 x 1,000,000 = N80,000,000
6. Beans Farming – A bag of Beans costs twice more than a bag of Rice and garri the Northern Nigerians are making it big in Beans Farming, supplying almost all over Nigeria and beyond. But one thing is that, this same Beans also can do very well in the South East, South West, and South South Nigeria soils. So why only the North?
7. Catfish Farming – Catfish Business is really hyping in Nigeria right now but how many are really getting it right? Get it right and you’re in money. A single Catfish sells for N700 in Restaurants and about N400 in open market.
8. Goat Rearing – It’s only in the North that goat is reared in commercial quantity. I don’t know why we are so looking down on Farming Investment in the South even though there are millions to be made in this business. Why would you chose to sell used shoes in Oshodi and make few thousands of Naira yearly than to engage in productive Farm Business and make millions of Naira?
In The USA and Australia, Farmers are among the Richest people – Get involved in professional goat rearing and make money for yourself. A full grown goat sells for between N15,000 to N40,000
9. Snail Farming – I see Snail Farming really picking up in Nigeria very soon — but if you don’t hurry up, others would have made the money before you realize what you are missing. The potential in this business for you is about N50,000,000 Annual revenue.
10. Maize Farming – You never know the profit in Maize Farming in Nigeria until you try it, and one thing I like about it is that everything happens fast. It takes less than Four months between planting and harvesting.
Agribusiness management is the application of business skills in areas such as marketing, finance, economics and management to the agricultural industry. Students who earn degrees in agribusiness management focus on areas of input supply, agricultural production, commodity assembly and processing, and agricultural marketing.
The agribusiness management program at MSU focuses on the managerial functions performed by organizations throughout the agribusiness sector and provides a systemwide perspective on managerial problems. The major gives students the flexibility to expand on the core areas of study by choosing courses related to their individual interests in farm management, commodity procurement and marketing, labor and personnel management, public policy and global food issues.
Faculty members and advisors associated with the program maintain close relationships with agribusiness companies. Those relationships benefit students seeking information about internships, scholarships and employment in the field.
Students may gain practical industry experience by completing a professional internship in agribusiness management. This supervised professional experience is a great way for students to apply what they learned in the classroom to real-world agri-food systems.
Core areas of study
Agri-food systemsCommodity and food product marketingAgribusiness and food industry salesMicro- and macroeconomicsSupply chain management
Supporting discipline areas
Farm managementFinancial management in the agri-food systemCorporate environmental managementFinance and statistics
Career opportunities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that many more agribusiness positions are available than there are qualified people to fill them. The shortage will be greatest for managers, financial specialists and marekting/sales representatives – the careers on which our program focuses – in these areeas:
Financial analysisAgricultural input supplyAgricultural production/farming operationsCommodity processing and assemblyAgricultural marketing/advertisingPublic relationsAgricultural sales
1. Select your Poultry Niche
The poultry industry is a broad niche. There are many sub-sectors in the poultry industry which you can tap into. When poultry farming is mentioned, a lot of people take that to mean chicken rearing or turkey rearing alone but poultry farming is a very wide business with different aspects. Below are niches in the poultry business:
Egg production (Layers breeding)Meat production (Broilers breeding)Chicken breeding (Hatchery)Poultry feed productionPoultry equipment manufacturingEgg and meat processing, packaging and marketingPoultry marketing and consultancy
So, you see that poultry farming is very wide. Therefore, you have to choose your area of specialization. Of course, if you have enough capital and the technical know-how nothing stops you from doing all the businesses under poultry farming but it is always better to go back to the drawing board, find out which aspects of poultry farming are more profitable in your area in terms of demand and income and then select the most attractive aspects to concentrate on.
2. What type of bird will you be focusing on?
Another important factor to consider is the type of birds you wish to rear. There are several types of birds that you can rear. Poultry farming can further be classified into the types of birds:
Domestic fowl or Chicken (Broilers and layers)TurkeyGuinea fowlPigeonDuckGoosePeacockQuail
You also have to decide on whether you want to rear layers or broilers. Layers are usually raised mainly for laying eggs so if egg production is your area of specialization, you would need to stock your farm with layers but if you prefer to opt for meat production instead, then you would need broilers instead because broilers have the ability to grow very fat and gives more return on investment because they weigh a lot more than other breeds. But for this article, I will be focusing on poultry breeding for egg and meat purposes with respect to the domestic fowl.
3. Start-up Capital Investment
The poultry farming business is capital intensive; depending on the scale, location of your farm and the type of management technology used. A small scale poultry farm being run behind your house may require a capital of between $500 – $1,500. A medium scale poultry farm may require $2,000 – $5,000 and a large scale poultry farm may require a start-up capital of $10,000 and above. Like I stated earlier, scale is directly proportional to capital.
4. Poultry Location
A good location is vital to the success and profitability of your poultry farm. An ideal poultry farm should be sited where there’s a large availability of cheap land and at the same time; should be close to areas with high population density. It’s not advisable to site your poultry farm within a residential area because of the offensive odour it produces.
While it is smart to start your poultry farm in a place where the odor and noise would not disturb other people, you should also consider the security factor. Lands in sparsely populated settlements are cheap and you would have fewer issues with community disturbance and zoning but it may be far from your market and buyers. You need to find a balance, look for a place that is favorable to you and would also be favorable to your customers at the same time.
5. Housing your birds
Another important factor to consider is the poultry housing system and fencing options. Poultry housing system determines up to 40% of the rater of success you would achieve in poultry farming. A good housing system is very important for your poultry farm. The housing system commonly used in poultry farming are-:
Extensive system: Range and fold unit
Semi Intensive system: Standard semi intensive unit and straw yard
Intensive system: i. Deep litter, ii. Wire and slated floor, iii. Straw yard, iv. Battery cage
a. Free Range System-: Under free range poultry farming system, chickens are allowed to roam around on their own in search for food. This system cannot be used for commercial poultry farming because of the high level of risks involved.
b.Deep Litter System-: This system involves spreading wood shavings or saw dust on a concrete ground with the chickens placed on the floor and the dust serving as a ‘cushion’ for them. The dust is changed regularly, either by removing and replacing or by layering. Deep litter system is used by a lot of poultry farmers because it increases efficiency and makes it easier to manage large flocks of birds but it allows for a faster spread of diseases when there is an outbreak and also makes it difficult to fish out unproductive birds.
c. Battery Cage System-: As for the battery cage system, metal cages are constructed inside a building to house the birds. The cages are usually split into different compartments to house small groups of birds. The cages also contain feeding and water troughs as well as laying nests. Bird droppings fall on the floor and are cleaned mechanically by a scraper. This method is considered to be the most effective for egg production but the major downside of this method is that it is more expensive to construct and maintain compared to other forms of poultry housing systems.
If you are running a poultry farm for commercial purposes and you intend getting the best out of the business; with respect to high birds’ productivity and efficiency. Then you should consider housing your birds using the intensive system. Note that each of the three housing system has its own advantages and disadvantages. Lastly, your poultry housing structure should be built at a particular angle; taking sunlight and wind into consideration.
6. Poultry equipment and appliances
There is a very long list of equipment and facilities to put in place in order to fully manage a poultry farm. You would need to construct a house for the birds, provide feeders and drinkers, a good waste disposal system, source of water, lightening and heat, egg crates and storage space for keeping feed and eggs.
Therefore, you should make a list of all the items you would need, find out the prices and compare different prices to further give you an idea of the costs of setting up the poultry farm.The following equipment may be needed for your poultry farm and their uses:
FeedersDrinkersPerchesNestsCratesLighting systemWaste disposal systemIncubatorHeaters or broodersEgg trayCages and coops
7. Feeding your birds-: Feeding is a major aspect of poultry farming. In fact, about 70% of your expenses would go towards poultry feeding. Therefore, it is imperative to figure out the feeding aspects of business before you go into it. There are two ways to go about feeding in poultry farming:
Producing your feeds by yourselfBuying already-made poultry feeds
I recommend the former for large commercial poultry farms because it helps you to save a lot of money on feeding costs. You can easily learn how to make poultry feeds, purchase equipment and start producing feeds for your farm. You can even make some extra income for yourself by selling to others but it is important that you get the right feed formula and ingredients that would enhance the growth of your birds.
8. Poultry Farm staffing and manpower
Operating a poultry farm is not labor intensive if the use of technology is employed. With respect to staffing, the number of manpower needed is also dependent on the size of your farm. But some must haves should be admin officer or manager; who will oversee the day to day running of your business. Your manager can also double as your accountant to cut down cost.
It is also advisable you have personnel who will reside permanently in the farm to monitor and see to the well being of your birds. You will also need security personnel that will monitor the inflow and outflow of people around your farm; and most importantly, guard against theft. Aside these few mentioned, you can add more personnel to suit your business needs.
9. Accounting-: I mentioned in one of my previous articles how a lot of poultry farmers take the accounting and record keeping aspects of their business for granted. Poultry farming is just like any other commercial business out there and for you to track your performance and productivity, adequate records must be kept. You don’t need to have an accounting background or spend hours on record keeping or accounting for your farm; just purchase a farm management software, install it on your computer and there you are, you would be able to know how your business is doing and whether you are growing or not.
10. Health-: Just like you need regular health check-up to stay in good shape, the birds in your farm also need regular check-up. They need proper vaccines and medications to prevent diseases and promote growth. You should have a consultant, a veterinary doctor who would be in charge of giving vaccinations and providing proper health care for the birds. Chicks need more care after they hatch especially within their first 3 weeks.
11. Marketing-: Another factor to give consideration to is the marketing aspect of your poultry business. You have to find a way to reach your customers and this would be done by employing the right marketing techniques. Therefore, before you start a poultry business, you should really consider the marketing strategies which you would use to break into the market.
12. Projected return on investment
The incubation period of the domestic fowl is 21 days. You can start selling off your birds as early as 8 – 12 weeks but full maturity is reached between 20 – 24 weeks. The payback period of a poultry farming business is between 3 – 5 years.
Five Challenges of Starting a Poultry Farming Business
Poultry farming business is one of the most important and profitable aspect of livestock farming business especially in Nigeria. But like every other business, there are risks and challenges involved. Do you intend venturing into poultry farming but you would like to know the risks and challenges that you will be facing? Then i advice you read on.
Challenges of Starting a Poultry Farming Business
Poultry farming has a longer pay back period
It is Labor intensive
Pests such as rats, ants, etc and predators such as hawks, snakes can cause massive loss
Lack of support from the government
Taking a close look at Nigeria today, you will attest to the fact that the government shows little or no interest in livestock farming; let alone poultry farming. The government is more interested in the oil sector thereby not showing concern to poultry farming and this brings discouragement to the poultry farmers.
Even the assumed agricultural loan the government provided cannot be accessed because of the stringent conditions attached. The only visible effort of the government is the recent ban on the importation of live or frozen poultry birds. So if you are interested in starting a poultry farming busi
In pursuit of a lasting business relationships, leveraging, partnership and networking, the Agribusiness Systems and Technologies Limited (www.agribusinesssystems.com) Team led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Adewale Ilesanmi , the Nigeria’s Agribusiness and Enterprise Strategist (www.adewaleilesanmi.com) and the Hill Agribusiness Development Center Team also led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bunmi Don Sola , a leading Agribusiness Coach and Consultant and a television guest in the foremost television stations in Nigeria which include (Television Continental , Channels etc) met at the ultra modern and purposely built center of the Hill Agribusiness Development Center in Abeokuta , Ogun State.
Contemporary realities have shown that no single organization can do it all without collaboration and developing synergy with like minds and serious minded and purpose driven organizations. It is in light of this that these two unique organizations met and discussed for long hours how to help develop agribusiness in Nigeria and provide the right impetus for agribusiness growth in the Country.
The discussions also centered on developing and partnering in our systems, structure, practice, process and charting a new direction for agribusiness development in Nigeria. The two companies also projected that this may lead to great investment in every area of agribusiness which will lead to creating job for our teeming youth, generate income and ensure food security for all the citizens’ of this country. In concrete terms, the issues that arose from this meeting included; training, advocacy, joint business solutions, exchange etc.
Our Visit To Yinka Adesola Training Farm
Agribusiness Systems and Technologies Limited Blog
It has been a long week of talking and sharing ideas with our colleagues everywhere in our quest to build business relationships, partnership and networking, the Agribusiness Systems and Technologies Limited Team visited one of the most amazing agribusiness practitioners in Nigeria. Her name is Yinka Adesola, a versatile and passionate agribusiness coach with right solutions to vegetable production, Ago Amodu, Iseyin area, Oyo State.
We were at Yinka Adesola Training Farm where she took us round some of her wonderful concepts and products. Like we always say, contemporary realities have shown that no single organization can do it all without collaboration and developing synergy with like minds and serious minded and purpose driven organizations. It is in light of this that these two unique organizations met and discussed for long hours how to help develop agribusiness in Nigeria and provide the right impetus for agribusiness growth in Country.
Our team was pleasantly impressed with the kind and amount of ingenuity and innovations, this amazing lady has brought into organic production and marketing of vegetables. Sincerely speaking, we think governments at various levels can look at all these and collaborate with her. More reason, we took the trip to her farm and held beautiful discussions with her team in order to partner in our systems, structure, practice , process and charting a new direction for agribusiness development in Nigeria.
Better success in your years ahead to us and our partners.
We have come to understand that most people want to venture into agriculture but have a lot of challenges among which are:
1. Access to arable land
2. Technical knowledge and support
3. Labour Sourcing
4. Farm implements
5. Water for irrigation
etc.
Our group has come up with solutions to this issues.
This involve partnering with individuals to start up their desired farm.
1. Land
We have arable and ploughable land for you. You will be allowed to make use of it for 6 month before paying.
2. Technical Knowledge and support.
This we will provide when you attend our on farm practical training for minimum of a month.
3. Labour Challenges
We will provide you with labour to be paid back at harvest
4. Farm Implements
All are readily available on the farm at some charges.
5. Water for irrigation.
You don’t have to worry about dry season. We have borehole to supply your crop.
Wow.
It cant be true!!!
There must be something they want
Yes it is true
And what we want is building a network of youth farmers that will produce the same quality of goods to meet the demand of our customers.
Proceeds get to be shared at harvest.
Participants has a target to meet
Yes you have plenty questions.
We will attend to them.
Let them roll in
Agriculture in Nigeria is a branch of the economy in Nigeria, providing employment for about 30% of the population as of 2010. The sector is being transformed by commercialization at the small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels.
The usage of inorganic fertilizers was promoted by Nigerian government in the 1970s. In 1990, 82 million hectares out of Nigeria’s total land area of about 91 million hectares were found to be arable. 42 percent of the cultivable area was farmed. Much of this land was farmed under the bush fallow system, whereby land is left idle for a period of time to allow natural regeneration of soil fertility. 18 million hectares were classified as permanent pasture, but had the potential to support crops. Most of the 20 million hectares covered by forests and woodlands are believed to have agricultural potential.
Agricultural holdings are small and scattered, and farming is carried out with simple tools. Large-scale agriculture is not common. Agriculture contributed 32% to GDP in 2001.
Major crops include beans, sesame, cashew nuts, cassava, cocoa beans, groundnuts, gum arabic, kolanut, maize (corn), melon, millet, palm kernels, palm oil, plantains, rice, rubber, sorghum, soybeans and yams.
The country’s agricultural products fall into two main groups: food crops produced for home consumption, and exports. Prior to the Nigerian civil war, the country was self-sufficient in food, but increased steeply after 1973. Bread made from American wheat replaced domestic crops as the cheapest staple food.
Food crops
The most important food crops are Rice, yams and manioc (cassava),Rice, in the south and sorghum, Beans, and millet in the north.
Cocoa
Cocoa is the leading non-oil foreign exchange earner but the dominance of smallholders and lack of farm labor due to urbanization hold back production. In 1999, Nigeria produced 145,000 tons of cocoa beans, but has the potential for over 300,000 per year.
Rubber
Rubber is the second-largest non-oil foreign exchange earner
Ministry of Agriculture
The government office responsible for Agriculture development and transformation is currently the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Primarily funded by the Federal Government, the Ministry currently superintends almost fifty parastatals operating as either key departments or agencies across the country. The Ministry has 2 major departments namely Technical and Service Departments:
Technical Departments: Agriculture (Trees and Crops), Fisheries, Livestock, Land Resources, Fertilizer, Food Reserve & Storage and Rural Development.
Service Departments: Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, PPAS (Plan, Policy, Analysis & Statistics) and Co-operatives.
The ministry is headed by Audu Ogbeh who was appointed by President Muhammad Buhari on 12 November 2015 succeeding Akinwumi Adesina who was elected to head Africa Development Bank. Buhari also appointed Heineken Lokpobiri as the new Minister of State for Agriculture, and Shehu Ahmad as the Permanent Secretary under a newly created Ministry of Agriculture And Rural Development.
Policies
In 2011, the administration of President Jonathan launched an Agricultural Transformation Agenda which was managed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The intended outcome of the agenda is to promote agriculture as a business, integrate the agricultural value chain and make agriculture a key driver of Nigeria’s economic growth. To achieve this agenda the government put in place some new measures:
New fiscal incentives to encourage domestic import substitutionRemoval of restrictions on areas of investment and maximum equity ownership in investment by foreign investorsNocurrency exchange controls – free transfer of Capital, Profits and DividendsConstitutional guarantees against nationalization/expropriation of investmentsZero percent (0%) duty on agricultural machinery and equipment importsPioneer Tax holiday for agricultural investmentsDuty Waivers and other industry related incentives e.g., based on use of local raw materials, export orientation
Recently while surfing the internet, we came across this topic;
The Role of Agribusiness in Development: Replacing the Diminished Role of the Government in Raising Rural Incomes by Julie V. Stanton
And here is the abstract;
With increasing efforts to promote free markets, one must ask whether the impact on some agricultural producers may be less than desirable. Small producers with limited access to capital, technical assistance, and competitive buyers may be unable to participate in new marketing opportunities. Without recommending a
return to heavy government, this article suggests development policy be enlarged to encompass agribusiness enterprises.
Localized agribusiness can help rural populations capture value added that is otherwise lost to external agents. This may require, however, a different governmental role, primarily in the provision of basic infrastructure, transparent policies, and the continued emphasis on availability of capital and technology.
From the body, here is an excerpt;
A significant worldwide trend in public policy in recent years has been to disengage decades of direct government involvement in the agricultural sector. Price supports, input subsidies, and publicly owned agriculture-related institutions have been increasingly dismantled in favor of private market determination of prices and other incentives. Generally speaking, the arguments in favor of this approach center on the anticipated gains in production efficiency that would arise from free movement of resources.
Contributing to this trend toward free market economies are the growing global efforts to liberalize trade by lowering tariffs, harmonizing other standards, and facilitating foreign direct investment. While the short-term adjustments to increased competition are recognized as potentially painful, it is generally agreed that medium-to long-term gains more than compensate.
Nevertheless, in a very real sense, the adjustment to removal of both domestic support structures and barriers to external competition may be especially painful for smaller producers, a group which is often the target of poverty alleviation measures.
When public support has been extensive and in place for long periods of time, private market offerings have typically been stifled if not forbidden. This implies that there may be some delay between public sector withdrawal of services and their replacement by private enterprises. Moreover, even with such emergence of private offerings of agricultural support services, there are aspects of smallholder agriculture which make access to those services tenable.
A Seed is Worthy to take Action which bring about Growth(SWAG)
