jasper7:
Did I succeed in the project? No. Why? because the heights we expected to reach, we didn't reach. We just had 3 months out of 6months to work.

Kalusam:
Aww, reading this story and it was as if I am reading my own story. What I have learnt also is this: Moving from a known terrain to another is basically challenging, its better to face the challenges, learn from them and go back to the drawing board to draw out a great plan than quitting! Secondly and most importantly, the God factor is by far the only hope for success. Success in farming is 10% hard work and 90% God factor, because I have seen people that spend as much as 700k on a 1 acre cucumber farm that do not even get back half of their investments in sales and others who spend less than 150k on one acre who make close to 700k in sales!

Pavore9:
Faculties of Agriculture in various Nigerian Universities need to set up commercial soil testing centres and sensitize local farmers on the need to have their soil tested. They should train field agents stationed in different areas on how to take soil samples. They collect the samples from farms and forward them to the soil testing centres then after 7-10 days they get the result and given fertilizer recommendation.

Soil testing is as low N4,000 here in Kenya.

jasper7:

We found what we were looking for in mid-July. It was a land close to the Dam in ogbomosho, so we were guaranteed unlimited water supply. And Later in July we started work there, with the few laborers we had on ground. We installed our irrigation all over again and successfully planted sometime in August, (Remember this was a project that should be due in October, Lol). By end august, the downpour of rain came like it was releasing all it had held back through all the months of drought. The dam overflowed, destriyed our farm as much as it could. (From suffering from lack of water, we are now suffering from excess water, Lol). I couldn't understand why the forces of Nature were just trying to mess around with my head. We Fought many battles, we won some and we lost some, but these are the Lessons I have extracted from my Journal. Enjoy

Prosperity4All:


Like they say, you don't reinvent the wheel.

All Nigerian Universities (NUC approved, I dont mean the backyard ones) with a Civil Engineering or Geology Department have all it takes to perform Geophysical studies.

Also most reputable road construction companies (Berger, Dantata&Sawoe, RCC, Fugrol, the list is endless) also have their own laboratories equipped to perform all sorts of soil test and beyond. You can approach and negotiate officially or un-officially.

Price, I wont discuss, because it is dependent upon a lot of factors. Also cross-border comparison of Price should be done on the Purchasing-Power parity. Maybe N4,000 in Kenya can buy more than what N20,000 would procure in Nigeria.

jasper7:
3. Labour is still an Issue: the unskilled labour is so difficult to get and when you get? very expensive and very very unproductive.The foreign help from neighboring African countries (Benin, Togo) are not reliable and not readily available.
so.. a man who quit his job in a bank to farm will suffer because he can't get reliable hands.
Until there's a good solution to this, there's still some work to be done

jasper7:
5. It's a great Idea having your farm close to target market: A bus from let's say ogbomosho will charge you between 20-30k to carry your goods down to Lagos. If you are a cucumber farmer for instance, that's 60 bags of cucumber at best. (most times less). A bag goes 2500 averagely, that's about 150k from sales. Take out maybe 25k for transport and you are left 125k.
On the other hand a truck cost 40-50k from ogbomosho to Lagos. A truck carries 300 bags averagely, at the 2500 per bag, that will be 750k, if you take out the transport, you are left with 700k. So, if the person with 60 bags had contributed to make up a co-operative's 300bags, He/she would be spending 10k on transport, thereby saving 15k. 15k saved in a 1 month harvest cycle is 150k (at least). Take a moment to think about this.

jasper7:
7. Mechanization is the way forward: After ruminating and agonising over the unavailability of land and inadequacies of Labour, i have come to the humble conclusion that getting the required machines that will reduce your need for labour can be the long lasting solution to this labour.
There are machines that can handle almost every part of the farm procedure, from planting, transplanting, bed making, weeding, fertilizer and chemical application, even up to harvest.

Prosperity4All:

The solution is already here. And you know it. The issue is how does the SME-Farmer finance such expensive machinery. You need over 15 years to amortize their cost.

I think the solution lies in Leasing (Hiring) and Cooperative Farm Settlements covering hundreds of Acres in one location. The cost of hiring a plough to do 1 Acre is same as 10 Acres. So assume 1 Farmer having 1 Acre is to pay N10,000 but because his other 9 neighbours are interested they all contribute N1,000 each and use the same equipment same day (very possible). Same applies to other farm equipment.


Like I explained above the solution lies in Cooperative Farmers Settlement. You also mentioned that.
I believe the essence of the Agric section threads is to help birth mechanized farming which can replace our Oil-sector and Banking jobs in terms of fat paying salaries. So if that is the case, you will agree with me that proximity to market strategy will be scratching the surface. If you limit your sales by "Proximity to Market"be sure that the Devil-factor will show face. If it wasn't so, the apples you see in Nigeria wouldn't have crossed the bother.


So why break your head any further? You have the solution then implement. But don't forget the Laboratory equipment again.

And don't forget division of Labour. The highly skilled manpower (Graduates) you referred to. Hope they are not all experts in same field (B.Sc Agric). You need mean experienced marketers (think about selling ice to an Eskimo) good at identifying or even creating demand. You need Economist to keep researching the market. Your supply (mass production) must not surpass immediate demand thus forcing down the unit price (glut).

Also get ready for your readers/ co-investors, who will ask for detail analysis with cost for a Mechanized Farm setup.

Don't forget "with God all things are possible". And God is Constant. So go make it, you are on track. Nice threads you have here. Needless to say you have inspired me.

Kalusam:
Aww, reading this story and it was as if I am reading my own story. What I have learnt also is this: Moving from a known terrain to another is basically challenging, its better to face the challenges, learn from them and go back to the drawing board to draw out a great plan than quitting! Secondly and most importantly, the God factor is by far the only hope for success. Success in farming is 10% hard work and 90% God factor, because I have seen people that spend as much as 700k on a 1 acre cucumber farm that do not even get back half of their investments in sales and others who spend less than 150k on one acre who make close to 700k in sales!

Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future. -Dale Turner

jasper7:

My brother you are on point, as usual. We can't undermine the part God plays in this process

neroflo57:


when is your next investment opportunity for outsiders coming up.
I just realised my previous investment might be going south

jasper7:

why is your previous investment going south? is it agric related? We continue our phase 2 by January. A slight Expansion on my mind. Send me your e-mail for the proposal.

jasper7:
The dream has always been running an agric-based investment company that pays a minimum of 50% ROI every year. Can it be done? Absolutely! Can I do It? Yea sure, piece of cake. I bet you I can make it 50% in 6 months. Can it be done? Absolutely, Can I do it? Read on to find out.

The ogbomosho project was set to commence on the 1st of May, and 6 months later (30th October), the 1st Tranche on the ROI was to be paid. With no tests nor geophysical survey, We had gotten the Land in April, a virgin forest in Ogbomosho (very fertile). We cleared it using a bulldozer, we commenced search for laborers, purchased tools and farm input, procured a farm house, ploughed the land e.t.c

That proved to be the first of a series of deadly mistakes because when we started our bore-hole, we discovered that the area would be unable to produce the required water to irrigate a farm of the size of our's. 3 different surveys were conducted, yet the same result. The survey showed that what we could get at best from the land would be a tenth of what we need. So, great was the problem that we suspended the search for Labour and re-activated the search for Land with "enough water".

We found what we were looking for in mid-July. It was a land close to the Dam in ogbomosho, so we were guaranteed unlimited water supply. And Later in July we started work there, with the few laborers we had on ground. We installed our irrigation all over again and successfully planted sometime in August, (Remember this was a project that should be due in October, Lol). By end august, the downpour of rain came like it was releasing all it had held back through all the months of drought. The dam overflowed, destriyed our farm as much as it could. (From suffering from lack of water, we are now suffering from excess water, Lol). I couldn't understand why the forces of Nature were just trying to mess around with my head. We Fought many battles, we won some and we lost some, but these are the Lessons I have extracted from my Journal. Enjoy

jasper7:

why is your previous investment going south? is it agric related? We continue our phase 2 by January. A slight Expansion on my mind. Send me your e-mail for the proposal.

kyuthman:
I m with you sir

jasper7:
8. Control Your market: As much as possible, try to sell in a market you have control over. A market that needs you, not mile12. That market does not need us, we tend to need it more than it needs us so it tends to dictate our every move.

I have a lot of Ideas on this one, I cannot start sharing now. But take a moment to think about it.

chuksvee:
thanks @jasper7 ur write-ups ar very informative.. i'm a soil science student of FUTO, i hope to set up a standard soil laboratory one day

Newway2:
9. PACKING & STORAGE

This is one area that have been overlooked by @Jasper & his team.

With the size & magnitude of JIREH1 & Proper packaging, JIREH1 shld be dictating the market trend & not follow the market. You can not be selling in sack like illetrates and hope to make good returns.

With the resoursce at your disposal, you shld be able to channel resources to take care of these & thus distate the market. It's a very STRONG oversight on you part to start JIREH1 without thinking of packaging & storage.

If Tomato section in Mile12 market, Lagos can introduce plastic crates for tomatoes (through DFID/UKaid), so cld JIREH1

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/06/from-basket-to-plastic-crates-mile-12-tomato-dealers-turn-new-leaf/

jasper7:

Bros, you are right! I have seen my foolishness. I hope to correct it as soon as possible

Pavore9:


A litre of Petrol in Kenya is N180 (It was N224 per litre before the oil crash). So with the N4,000, l only get to buy 22 litres of petrol with it but l get to use it to buy twice that quantity in Nigeria if there is no fuel scarcity but the irony of this is that transport fare is cheaper in Kenya than in Nigeria! I did a farm visit from Nairobi, It was a 37kn journey and I paid a bus fare of 100 Kenyan shilling (N200) but way back in 2013, l recall paying N150 from Ojota to Oyingbo which is not up to half of the trip I did for N200.

There is something fundamentally wrong!

jasper7:

That's interesting. Maybe there are cheaper ones in Nigeria, but I have not seen them. What we are doing here in Nigeria has left so much to be desired. And the government is not helping matters at all. I just hope the "CHANGE" is still coming, and it will reach the agric sector

organicfoods:
My team and I are working seriously on this area... having done my IT at NIIT in the past using their well equipped laboratory, they depend heavily on results of soil tests for most of their activities, the importance of soil test in farming cannot be over emphasized...however the equipment are very costly and the chemicals to digest the soil for the required analysis can be a challenge. An AA spectroscopy don't come cheap, we are working to see how to beat round these issues to be able to provide cheap soil test services for farmers. Need I say this, construction company do not conduct test on soil nutrients, all they are interested in is soil bearing test and elasticity most of the time. Our University hardly have functional equipment, most times they make museums out of these equipment when they have it.

jasper7:

Exactly! soil testing is very very important. I won't have known untill I fell a victim of negligence. and N4,000 for test? that's very cheap o. Here in Nigeria, the cheapest I've seen is N20,000