I want to quit farming this year... I want to go into processing and marketing of food products. I want to manage farmers. Not because farming is not profitable but because some really good farmers I know are suffering. Really suffering. And that is not down to the abundance of food but because they lack the right management practises. It's a big problem and I want to put in my quota in solving it.

I have been restless for a while now. Very restless. Nigeria's economy is sinking with the price of oil.

Statistics show that Nigeria spent 35billion dollars on food importation in 2015. And made a meagre 350 million from food exportation. This is a serious problem. Nigeria is in Trouble

I am speculating that more Nigerians will die of hunger than boko haram's terrorism in the next 10 years if we do not save our economy.

How can we save this economy of ours... There are areas of agriculture that is sweeping in foreign exchange for the country on a daily basis. And there are other areas that we can close up shop. And stop sending our precious cash abroad.

I have been doing some research. I think every well meaning farmer irrespective of his farming interests should have a level of export product to gain some foreign exchange.

We can turn this economic problem to our favour. We can make it the best thing that has happened to us. Believe me, a lot of attention will be transferred to people with exportable product. Considering that Nigeria is desperately scrambling for ways to revive its economy.

Let's set up plantations, farm settlements an farm estates for exportable products.

Hotmas911 already caught the vision as he is setting up a cashew plantation in ogbomosho (Land of Cashew ).

With this I have tried to streamline what I will do in 2016.

I'll be sharing them in 2 posts. You are welcome to partner, copy, criticize (constructively) or give your own view point or idea to improve what I already have.

Cc My big bro pavore9, Kalusam, hotmas911.

Interesting.

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

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

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

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

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

I have broken down my idea.

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

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

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

Step 4. Start publicizing.

Step 5. Train more farmers

Step 6. Set up more collection points and outlets

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

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

That to me is a huge waste.

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

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

That to me is a huge waste.

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

jasper7:

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

The Onion is just an example.
How about preservation or an effective on-demand distribution chain.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can I do it? Maybe

jasper7:
We need fresh food outlets springing up in every major city. Just as ww have fast foods everywhere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can I do it? Maybe

can you do it?YES

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

ajsans:
can you do it?YES

I hope so too.

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

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

jasper7:

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

Feel free.

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

Nice ideal bro have been thinking abt this for a long time my plan was going into processing of farm produce becos have seen the way farmers r suffering

Love, love the idea! Would love to be a part of those setting up hygienic fresh produce outlets. I'm ready when you are

I brought my seat here

Its a laudable project to embark on. Each time I travel through the Oje fruit market at Ibadan, it grieves me to see the effort of our farmers being Wasted everyday.

Its a laudable project to embark on. Each time I travel through the Oje fruit market at Ibadan, it grieves me to see the effort of our farmers being Wasted everyday.

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

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

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

Wao, Jasper got this from back to back as usual. When this is achieved farmers would truely be happy to produce more food.. Nice one Mr Jasper

Quite impressing! Am into plantation (Plantain)

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

Following keenly my brother!

jasper7:
I want to quit farming this year... I want to go into processing and marketing of food products. I want to manage farmers. Not because farming is not profitable but because some really good farmers I know are suffering. Really suffering. And that is not down to the abundance of food but because they lack the right management practises. It's a big problem and I want to put in my quota in solving it.

I have been restless for a while now. Very restless. Nigeria's economy is sinking with the price of oil.

Statistics show that Nigeria spent 35billion dollars on food importation in 2015. And made a meagre 350 million from food exportation. This is a serious problem. Nigeria is in Trouble

I am speculating that more Nigerians will die of hunger than boko haram's terrorism in the next 10 years if we do not save our economy.

How can we save this economy of ours... There are areas of agriculture that is sweeping in foreign exchange for the country on a daily basis. And there are other areas that we can close up shop. And stop sending our precious cash abroad.

I have been doing some research. I think every well meaning farmer irrespective of his farming interests should have a level of export product to gain some foreign exchange.

We can turn this economic problem to our favour. We can make it the best thing that has happened to us. Believe me, a lot of attention will be transferred to people with exportable product. Considering that Nigeria is desperately scrambling for ways to revive its economy.

Let's set up plantations, farm settlements an farm estates for exportable products.

Hotmas911 already caught the vision as he is setting up a cashew plantation in ogbomosho (Land of Cashew ).

With this I have tried to streamline what I will do in 2016.

I'll be sharing them in 2 posts. You are welcome to partner, copy, criticize (constructively) or give your own view point or idea to improve what I already have.

Cc My big bro pavore9, Kalusam, hotmas911.

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

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

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

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

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

Welldone. Keep moving.

Gradually shifting from production 2 marketing-becoming d middle man

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

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

for?

This is a great Idea indeed
GOD bless you

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