As l look forward to 2016 as this year winds down, l feel so optimistic that there will be a huge leap from where we are presently at, agriculturally. The words of the President is really inspiring, he did say ''The answers to our problems are not beyond us. They exist on our farmlands........

Agriculture can lift many up, if the will exists as Agriculture as we grew up to perceive is so different from what is obtainable today. The value chain is limitless and can suck up millions of Nigerians into becoming economically active. We live in a world of IT where watching a Youtube video on an agricultural practice can change one's reality, knowledge is a click away. Lots of research papers are online for FREE, it shortens the process!

The Nigerian market is huge and many foreigners salivates for it, we owe ourselves the obligation to creatively disrupt the existing marketing and distribution structures to deliver farm produce in a consistently well packaged and easily accessible way. The Mile 12 market would always exist but the over 20 million residents of Lagos is too big a market to be restricted to the Mile 12 and similar markets structures.

All across Nigeria, opportunity abounds. A resident around groundnut producing areas is in a better position to buy off directly from farmers their harvests and process into peanut butter to serve as bread spread. I recall a programme l watched where a Kenyan rural farmer who hitherto was earning about N16,000 to N20,000 from the sales of a 90kg bag of groundnut but after he was empowered on how to process it into peanut butter he processed up to N80,000 worth of Peanut butter from the same 90kg bag of groundnut! FIIRO Oshodi can easily produce machinery for the processing. The igbos do process theirs adding spices to it and eaten with garden eggs.

Nigeria is the fourth largest producer of groundnut in the world after China, India and the U.S. looking at the value addition is a way to go which is also same for other farm produce. Why should one at this present time be involved in boiling and pounding fresh cocoyam to serve as soup thickener when a packaged cocoyam powder would do the same job, it will serve as a huge relief to urban dwellers. l do have family members who go to oyingbo market to buy sun dried cocoyam, have it ground and send it over to me in Kenya, they can't get it off the shelf!. One can get information regarding cultivation through to processing it from National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike.

We should work towards reducing the use of sacks and baskets in conveying our farm produce, plastic crates are a whole lot better as it reduces loss in post harvest handling and can last for years when properly handled.

Wishing everyone a greener 2016.

ok

you are very right. Agriculture and agro processing is the way to economic stability. A venture I am proud to be part of. Fish farmers should embrace fish processing. This will prevent post harvest losses and glut in the sector. Agro Processing is the way!!!

Way to go boss @ pavore9

I understand you perfectly but what hope does someone staying in an area devoid of land for agriculture do?

baba11:
I understand you perfectly but what hope does someone staying in an area devoid of land for agriculture
do?

There is cultivation/rearing, processing, marketing. You do not need farmland to process or market. Take for instance, the fish bamdexfarms is processing, there are farms where one can buy off the fish from the farmers and have it smoked and packaged like he does.

There are folks who can key into offering services to farmers. An example is offering harvesting services to rice and wheat farmers. l have done rice farming and do know that harvesting with sickles is not the way to go but how many farmers can afford the big mechanized harvesters? There are hand held harvesters one can buy from Asia and with one operator the daily output would be more than that of 10 farm hands combined. The farmers gets to harvest their crops faster and cheaper, the operator/owner also get his pay!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WIlEC8W2gM

Pavore9:



There is cultivation/rearing, processing, marketing. You do not need farmland to process or market. Take for instance, the fish bamdexfarms is processing, there are farms where one can buy off the fish from the farmers and have it smoked and packaged like he does.

There are folks who can key into offering services to farmers. An example is offering harvesting services to rice and wheat farmers. l have done rice farming and do know that harvesting with sickles is not the way to go but how many farmers can afford the big mechanized harvesters? There are hand held harvesters one can buy from Asia and with one operator the daily output would be more than that of 10 farm hands combined. The farmers gets to harvest their crops faster and cheaper, the operator/owner also get his pay!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WIlEC8W2gM

I see.. thanks for the eye opening

baba11:
I see.. thanks for the eye opening

Likewise offering threshing services as against manually threshing with sticks which is energy-sapping and huge loss of paddy rice is incurred.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijIkzPEBAHg

Pavore9:



Likewise offering threshing services as against manually threshing with sticks which is energy-sapping and huge loss of paddy rice is incurred.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijIkzPEBAHg

Nice work! Where can one get these thresher machine locally in Nigeria.

Elysianheritage:

Nice work! Where can one get these thresher machine locally in Nigeria.

I used to know a guy in Awka who can easily fabricate the machine as he did one for us way back for the rice project l was involved in but unfortunately lost his contact but can still recall his workshop was then located at Igweze Street, off Kwata junction in Awka.

Pavore9:



Likewise offering threshing services as against manually threshing with sticks which is energy-sapping and huge loss of paddy rice is incurred.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijIkzPEBAHg

Nice one!

@pavore9.. Uncle , your thoughts are in my plans. we want to improve agribusiness in 2016 by all means

@ pavour9 thanks for the eyes opening... you can also get the thresher in NCAM @ idofian kwara state...

There are rice growing areas in almost all the states in Nigeria, people can come together for the purpose of bulk purchasing the hand held harvesters from a selected manufacturer thus get the chance to negotiate for a lower price per unit and save cost on shipping down to Nigeria than just having a unit sent down.

smallblow:
@ pavour9 thanks for the eyes opening... you can also get the thresher in NCAM @ idofian kwara state...

l have checked their website http://www.ncam.gov.ng/index.php/16-ncam-multi-crop-threshers but their stated price is N350,000 which is rather on the high side in comparison to what the guy l mentioned earlier did it for. I believe his as of today will not go beyond N200.000!

Awesome!

Agric produce Processing is the way forward and ‎I also see it. I hope/trust that people here can stir themselves up and create new market concepts.

I'm game for it .

Pavore9:


l have checked their website http://www.ncam.gov.ng/index.php/16-ncam-multi-crop-threshers but their stated price is N350,000 which is rather on the high side in comparison to what the guy l mentioned earlier did it for. I believe his as of today will not go beyond N200.000!

Mr. Pavore9 I don't know if you can help, I ma thinking of going into okra farming soon but I am afraid of storage.. Can you please help me check if there is a suitable way of storing okra for a longer time without deteriorating. Thank you

Walexz02:

Mr. Pavore9 I don't know if you can help, I ma thinking of going into okra farming soon but I am afraid of storage.. Can you please help me check if there is a suitable way of storing okra for a longer time without deteriorating. Thank you

Yes one can without the use of electricity by setting up a room-like structure with the sides covered with wood and charcoal, water is used to moisture the charcoal. Would later upload some pictures and possibly videos as am on the road now,

Walexz02:

Mr. Pavore9 I don't know if you can help, I ma thinking of going into okra farming soon but I am afraid of storage.. Can you please help me check if there is a suitable way of storing okra for a longer time without deteriorating. Thank you

This short video will give an idea what the charcoal cooler structure looks like and ideal for those in the rural areas. I believe it will extend the freshness of your Okra for a week or more.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipqvedQW6a8

Processing has always been the way to follow, plus proper storage.

Pavore9:
There are rice growing areas in almost all the states in Nigeria, people can come together for the purpose of bulk purchasing the hand held harvesters from a selected manufacturer thus get the chance to negotiate for a lower price per unit and save cost on shipping down to Nigeria than just having a unit sent down.

Nice work @Pavore9! I am cultivating some acres of rice next season; and i was actually planning to buy via import this hand held harvester you mentioned above.
How can we work together to a bulk purchase in other to access a lower price per unit! I can afford say 3 units of the hand held harvester. My fear is rate at which the dollar is sky rocketing. What's your take?

Pavore9:


l have checked their website http://www.ncam.gov.ng/index.php/16-ncam-multi-crop-threshers but their stated price is N350,000 which is rather on the high side in comparison to what the guy l mentioned earlier did it for. I believe his as of today will not go beyond N200.000!

I quiet agree with you; but one still need to take into consideration its processing output per hour...the one referred above can process 450kg/hr. There are others that can process say 1-1.5tons/hr.
Just wished you could find a way of getting the contact of that guy you mentioned; we could ask to know his processing (threshing of rice) capacity of his machine and the price it will go for! Manual labour threshing of rice can very tasking!
Its a priority for me to get this machine next year; you could do well to see how you can help get this guy's contact.
Warm regards!

Elysianheritage:

Nice work @Pavore9! I am cultivating some acres of rice next season; and i was actually planning to buy via import this hand held harvester you mentioned above.
How can we work together to a bulk purchase in other to access a lower price per unit! I can afford say 3 units of the hand held harvester. My fear is rate at which the dollar is sky rocketing. What's your take?

No matter the prevailing rate of the dollar, having the harvester will be cheaper than paying for manually harvesting the rice farm. Such simple machinery is one of the steps that would help in reducing the cost of production of the locally produced rice. Create a thread on getting other people who also may be interested in getting it to come on board, then as a group you all select a particular manufacturer whose pricing and quality is favourably to you all. With everything openly discussed on the thread there would be confidence in the process.

There is so much to key into when it comes to processing. There is a lady who l admire her mindset, she owns a business called Sweet n dried, she solar dry fruits and vegetables. She has as part of her products ripe banana flakes. ripe mango flakes, pumpkin flour. She also has dried cabbage, capiscum, carrots etc. She does her drying within greenhouse structures while what is being dehydrated retains it nutrients. l intend visiting her production centre in the coming months.

Processing stuffs like carrots and beetroots into powder is no rocket science and having them packaged into 50/100gms packs is so good for the market as the end user only has to use water in order to be reconstituted back into a juice and ready to drink. Ladies also do use carrot for face mask just as it is highly recommended for the health of the eye while beetroot which l know has always been an expensive stuff in the local market because of limited supply is known to help those who are anaemic and lowering blood pressure.

Personally am addicted into adding carrots when frying eggs or blending into juice alongside avocado, mango and passion fruits.

There are many areas across the country with farm produce wasting away, dehydrating and packaging them proffers so much opportunity.

For carrots.

Pavore9 compliment of the season, I need your advise I have 300k and I intend to acquire 1 acre of land for agricultural purpose now am thinking of doing tomatoes. What do you think?

Pavore9:
There is so much to key into when it comes to processing. There is a lady who l admire her mindset, she owns a business called Sweet n dried, she solar dry fruits and vegetables. She has as part of her products ripe banana flakes. ripe mango flakes, pumpkin flour. She also has dried cabbage, capiscum, carrots etc. She does her drying within greenhouse structures while what is being dehydrated retains it nutrients. l intend visiting her production centre in the coming months.

Pls am following u on thIs.
When u visit her production center I want to know how she process her product.
Thanks.

Oga @Pavore9, am always inspired by all your submissions. This is a project/bizness I look forward to establish. Pls & pls, I wld want as much details as possible on this particular solar dried farm produce venture.
U are really Oga @ d top!
HAPPY NEW YEAR

Pavore9:
There is so much to key into when it comes to processing. There is a lady who l admire her mindset, she owns a business called Sweet n dried, she solar dry fruits and vegetables. She has as part of her products ripe banana flakes. ripe mango flakes, pumpkin flour. She also has dried cabbage, capiscum, carrots etc. She does her drying within greenhouse structures while what is being dehydrated retains it nutrients. l intend visiting her production centre in the coming months.

Happy New Year to Everyone.

This short video is about an enterprise in Uganda that process ripe bananas and pineapples by solar drying which anyone who is creative enough can set up with locally available materials. They export to Europe but for us, the local Nigerian market is very huge on its own. One can solar dry variety of fruits and vegetables. This is rural area friendly because electricity is not required and one can comfortably set up a processing centre there using the women/youth there as labour.

Along the line, getting NAFDAC certification so that one can comfortably distribute the products.

I encourage this video be downloaded so it can be watched repeatedly.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sznkBIdO04

@Pavore9 , happy new year. I will like to commend your informative contributions on this platform. More grease to your elbow.I've sent a personal message to you via Nairaland, I believe by now it must have gotten to your inbox. Please kindly check as I await your response. My email is fatuyitoyin@gmail.com