Solving Nigeria's Agro Challenges the Ethiopian Way

Nigerians are not lazy. I meet enough people everyday, I interact with some, I watch others closely and I befriend a few. In nearly all cases, I see only people who are willing to work their way out of poverty.
You just have to show them how.

                                                                 Audu Ogbeh, Minister for Agriculture

This is where I think the government has failed.

The FG is screaming itself hoarse on national radio/television, the pages of newspapers and the likes to convince people to return to the farms. But it's been all noise no substance. The results have been pathetic. There are still more unemployed Nigerians than the employed and the situation continues to worsen.

Elected leaders may go about recruiting more men and women into the police, military, civil service and such state and federal agencies but the obvious truth is that no government can effectively employ its entire citizenry.
It's not possible in tiny Togo how much more the most populous black nation on the face of the earth!

A wise government recognizes this and channel majority of its efforts towards inspiring its populace towards fending for and feeding itself.

This is where I commend the Ethiopian Farm Model. Needless to say, there are so many lessons we can pick from our eastern brothers.

Ethiopia is the second most populous nation on the black continent with almost 100million people, yet she's able to grow enough to feed her people and even have some more for export.
The Horn of Africa is one of the largest producers and exporters of coffee, maize and cereals in Africa.

The government of the East Africa nation commits about 15% of the budget yearly to support agriculture and aggressively attracts international organizations like the Bill & Belinda Gates Foundation to help drive its farming policies and empower its mostly smallholder farmers.

As gigantic as the Nigerian budget is constructed annually, never have we devoted 5% to the agricultural sector. In fact, recently, it has mostly hover around the 1.5% mark. That's paying lip service to the Transformation Agenda in that sector.

We can fool no one but ourselves. If this regime is serious about providing jobs for the majority of its educated and uneducated folks, the answer is not in trading blames, importing goods, establishing more federal agencies, recruiting more into the civil service, or providing free daily breakfast for all unemployed youths. The answer lies in investing smartly in agriculture .

And it all starts with the 2016 budget!

Agriculture: the wealth-creator we continue to ignore

Despite our seemingly endless reserve of oil, Nigerians are still some of the poorest people in the world. A lot of the newly born babies die of malnutrition. The majority of the youth are unemployed. And most of the elderly who are lucky to live past the age of 60 retire into poverty and depression.

In the last three decades, the country has made trillions of dollars in revenue ensuring that it has emerged has one of the largest economies in the world. It beats reasoning then how her huge wealth has not reflected in the purchasing power of her large populace. Incredibly, with the largest black population in the world, it is sickening to know that the entire wealth of this African giant is concentrated in the hands of less than 1% of her over 170 million people.

A lot of solutions have been proffered by experts to help chart a way for the common man to elevate himself from the pit of poverty. 

Yet the Nigerian economy is not looking so good, especially for the employees and the new school leavers. The mining sector is in comatose. The manufacturing firms have been hit by energy shortages and policy mismanagement. Those in the transportation business would do much better if our roads and railways were even up to scratch. And education is in a worse state than a dying child.

The internet came and, after an initial skepticism, has been generally welcomed and used to ease the stress of getting complex things done. It has opened new employment opportunities, no doubt, but it still has not transformed into the wealth-making machine the masses longed for.

Is it time then to give up and give in to death?

Far from it!

Agriculture can thrive where oil failed. It cannot, fortunately, be confined in the hands of a small, powerful cartel. And it can drive growth, feed the people and sustain development.

It already is the largest sector of the Nigerian economy and employs two-thirds of the entire labour force. However, increasing population combined with several other pertinent factors have kept agricultural productivity very low.

At this stage, we have the potential but we are not producing enough to feed our countrymen and women. Nigeria is currently one of the largest producers of rice in Africa and simultaneously one of the largest rice importers in the world.

Sadly, rice is not the only agricultural product that Nigeria can produce massively but still imports.

The country imports about 60 percent of the fish consumed. There are large imports of livestock and livestock products daily. About 30 percent of live animals slaughtered in Nigeria are imported from neighbouring countries. Some imported items like Palm oil, refined sugar and paste of tomatoes are actually a slight on our agricultural ego.

We cannot continue to ignore the potential of agriculture to transform an ailing economy into a healthy, wealth-creating one.

Nigeria: FG Urged to Embrace Bio-Crops Biotechnology to Address Food Challenge

Abuja — Renowned agriculturist and food security expert, Dr. Joseph Odusanya, has called on the federal government to embrace the cutting-edge bio-crops biotechnology, the latest innovation in plantlets and seed multiplication, as the solution to the country's food challenge. 

He said that the massive deployment of the technology will improve the country's foreign exchange.

Odusanya, who is the Chief Executive Officer, of Bio-crops Biotechnology, made the disclosure weekend, while conducting the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTDA), Mr. John Chukwu, around the plant and seed multiplication laboratories and farms in Abuja.

Farmers bemoan recent govt. policy on rice importation

Rice farmers in Katsina State coming under the aegis of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, have faulted the recent decision of the Nigerian Customs Service legalising the importation of rice through land borders.

Speaking yesterday through the state chairman of AFAN, Dr Yau Umar Gojogojo, the farmers urged the government to reconsider the policy insisting that it was capable of discouraging local production.

NCAN Hails FG’s Choice Of Audu Ogbeh As Agriculture Minister

The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) on Wednesday hailed the Federal Government’s choice of Audu Ogbeh as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ogbeh is a renowned cashew farmer.

Mr Sotonye Anga, the National Publicity Secretary of the association, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Anga said that the sector needed a vibrant agriculturalist to oversee its affairs.

Farmers set agenda for new agric minister

Nigerian farmers have set agenda for the new agriculture minister, calling on the current administration to pay adequate attention to their most pressing needs.
Investigations revealed that the top three needs of the farmers that require urgent intervention are access to inputs such as seeds, fertilizer and agrochemicals; provision of microcredit; and provision of extension services to help them on modern farming techniques.
Findings showed that the farmers are also in dire need of good market and guaranteed minimum price for their produce.
Other needs of the farmers which they want the federal government to quickly address are access to land, mechanized farming and provision of access roads to evacuate their produce from the remote farms to the markets.

Jatropha: What is it used for?

The Jatropha plant has in the last few years grown in popularity and acceptance due to its new found uses but many still are oblivious to this incredible plant.

It may be a common plant growing behind the house of the neighbor next door and treated like an irritating weed when it’s uses are not known but the Jatropha is more than that.

So what is the Jatropha?

The Jatropha goes by different names in different countries. In Nigeria, the Yorubas call it ‘Lapalapa’ or ‘Gbotuje’ or ‘Iyalode’

The Ibos refer to it has ‘Ncheogba’ while the Hausas know it as ‘Bindazugu’.

It grows in every place imaginable, even on waste lands.

What is the Jatropha used for?

The jatropha has many uses in today’s world.

Let’s start with the oil.

Why the fear of Jatropha farming is unfounded

I like writing a lot about Jatropha. That’s because anytime I am around farmers who deal in the planting or processing of this unique crop, they give out so much energy and enthusiasm, that I get drawn into the same passionate wave.

Let me restate here that if financial freedom with ease is what you desire as a farmer then your investment plan must include the Green Gold: Jatropha Curcas.

You may have heard that Jatropha is a source of renewable energy which is currently used for bio diesel which fuel standard diesel engines of cars, plants and even air planes. You heard right.

But what is so special about this plant? 

How to beat poor crop yield

Poor crop yield is one of a farmer's worst nightmares.

Worse than him losing his pension. Worse than him losing his wife to another man.
No grower prays to spend so much time, money and energy only to reap just a tiny fraction of what he expected.

It hurts. It irritates. It makes a man feel less than pig.

Harvest is the most exciting period in a farmer's life cycle. It can quickly turn sour however if produce that ought to be full and fat comes out scarce and thin.

Angry ancestors and mean gods used to bring the ill-wind of poor crop yields. But no more.
These days, a lot more boring factors are at fault.

Knowledge is key.

Is Nigeria ready for Organic Farming?

A friend of mine in Europe recently posted the poser at me on twitter and while I thought the question was absurd, I reckoned it was not polite to give him such a sharp reply. Rather, I asked him to visit the country more often. That sounded soft enough.

Well, I didn't intend this to be a piece on how I chastised an Ondo-born Belgian who has not been to town in ten years.

Creating Wealth from Lagos' increasing population

                                                                                                                                                               Nigerian Market 

The population of Lagos state scares me.

Lagos has a population estimated at 21 million in 2014, which makes it the largest city in Africa and one of the world’s most populous. It surpassed Cairo that once held the title as far back as 2012. And you can bet on it that it will still continue to enjoy tremendous growth.

It’s really intimidating when you compare it with other states and it’s only the ancient city of Kano (with about 10 million people) that even comes anywhere close to seeing its fast fading shadows.  

Even scarier is the fact that there are a larger number of people whose data have not been completely captured by any of the government agencies, which means that millions of people living in and around the Centre of Excellence are not even accounted for.

One thing is certain, whether they are numbered among the populace or not, all Lagosians need to be fed on a daily basis.

Get the picture: every day over 20 million individuals eat at least once before midnight.

Make Huge Profit in Cashew Farming

 

Are you looking for a cash crop with a great potential to create jobs for you and others, generate considerable export opportunities, is low in farming risk and is able to bring a bigger income for farmers in rural areas? Then look no further than Cashew!

Cashew is not everyone’s favorite fruit but the cashew apple and the cashew nut are some of the farmer’s biggest moneymakers in Nigeria and in Africa at large.

The cashew apple has a succulent flesh that is sweet to taste. Its nut can be consumed as snacks. Cashew oil, obtain from cold-pressing the cashew, is used for cooking. The bark of the cashew tree is also medicinal.

 

Cashew is so widely known, popularly eaten and a ready resource for various other products that it is a given that farmers growing the crop will continue to generate revenue from it. 

How To Use Insurance to Access Agricultural Financing

Poor funding is one of the biggest problems facing Nigeria's agric industry. Farmers simply can’t access enough credit to upgrade their subsistence level farming, buy farm machinery, and hire skilled labour.

Banks on the other hand are the moneybags with limitless sums of money lying idle in their vaults, looking at farmers with reproof and running after oil barons and telecom tycoons  to come over and have some. 

How then does insurance come into the equation?

How important is Agriculture to the well-being of a Nation?

The fact has been established that agriculture is the mainstay of any nation’s economy.

Sure Nigeria, and Angola are known for their crude oil, Sierra Leone and South Africa can boast of their large Diamond fields and Ghana pride herself in having some of largest concentration of gold in the world, yet none of these valuable resources can replace agriculture in the whole equation of achieving economic development for a nation.

If all the nations of the earth were stripped of their treasured natural resources, they would still be able to survive on agriculture alone. In fact, there would be more peace, less pollution, reduced cases of global warming and we would all live longer and healthier lives.

Farming or Agro-business?

You will be coming across these two terms a lot in the course of browsing through this website and I found it expedient to pass across to you what I meant by each of them.

I don’t want you confused.

Many people use the words interchangeably to the point where they begin to assume that the two words hold the same meaning. Well, they don’t.

Farming and agro-business are not exactly the same thing.

You can be in the Agro-business without being a farmer while you are an agro-business man if you are in farming.

Farming is an agro-business but agro-business is not just solely about farming.

Farming is just one tiny, albeit key component of the trillion dollar agro-business worldwide. There are so many other agro-business components that play crucial roles in getting farm produce from the farms to our tummies.

7 Investment-Friendly Branches of the Agribusiness Industry

There are so many agents involved either directly or indirectly in the agricultural value chain that it is rather a taking exercise to try to box them into distinct categories. It is not uncommon to find one individual or firm making money from two or more arms at the same time. 

Any man or venture or institution present in the thick of the food and fibre value chain and those that influence from outside are all a part of the beautiful system of agribusiness.

Why You Should Start a Jatropha Curcas Farm

I get asked many times: is Jatropha curcas a viable agro-crop in Nigeria?

My answer always is: Yes, it is.

I know. It’s not cocoa. It’s not coffee. And it’s not tobacco. But even though it’s poisonous, it’s the sweetest seed in the world right now.

It’s no other than Jatropha Curcas.

The jatropha curcas may not be the most popular crop in the world at the moment but it’s Usain Bolt-fast on the way to the top of that chart.  And positioning yourself as a jatropha farmer could be the way to reaping profitably from ‘the crude oil of the future.’

Nigeria’s huge potential to become an agricultural giant

Presently, China is the number one country in the world in agricultural production. They produce more than Nigeria and the United States combined. China is the Usain Bolt of the world’s agro race.

That’s huge! And it’s easy to actually point at their large population as the reason behind their agricultural advancement. Lest we forget, China is the world’s most populated nation boasting well over a billion citizens.

But if China’s head count was the sole reason why they are producing more than they can eat, then Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, should be feeding the rest of the continent right about now. 

Sadly, the reverse is the case.

Organic Farming: 7 Money-Making Facts to Know

Organic farming is nothing more than the traditional method of farming, the type that farmers probably used five thousand years ago. It is the holier than thou type of farming. It is farming without the ugly use of techniques considered to be harmful to humans and the society.

With over $100 billion market worldwide and growing, organic farming can no longer be ignored or brushed aside as the ramblings of modern day cave men. Here you have seven money-making facts that could help any organic farmer.

Organic Livestock Farming: All You Need To Know

Usually when people talk in favour of or against organic farming, the emphasis is on crop production. Pretty much as if organic farming does not support livestock.

But then is there anything like organic livestock farming? Well, pal, you’re damn right there is.  So, here are the basic things to always remember about organic livestock farming.

The 3 Biggest Challenges Facing the Agribusiness Investor

Like every other industry with tremendous value creating opportunities, the Agribusiness industry in Nigeria also has its fair share of challenges. Some are everyday rough edges that are more easily smoothened by tact and wit. While a few problems exist that required the skills of experts to solve. These are the three biggest challenges facing the agribusiness investor.

Why Should a College Graduate Consider Farming?

I get asked this question a lot of times: why should a big time, 21st century college graduate consider a career in a dirty, uncivilized farmland meant for the lowly and uneducated?

Well, the big time, 21st century University graduate is a big illusion.

A well-marketed fantasy: Nigeria is one of the largest producers of crude oil in the world. Graduate with a good degree in any discipline and secure a well-paying job in one of the several oil firms operating in the company. Buy a brand new car, build your house, get married and settle down within the first year of employment.

However, a 21st century University graduate has woken up to different reality. 

Welcome to Farm Starter Blog

Welcome to Farm Starter Blog, Nigeria's Number One Agribusiness Investment blog.

This blog was set up to show my country men that there's money to be made in all aspects of agriculture. A lot of cash. 

I keep saying that because I believe it strongly to be true. And I will keep saying it until you believe it too. 

Yet it is only for those who have the right information, who are ready to key into the countless opportunities that abound in agriculture and for those who dare to sip through the dirt to get to the wealth.

Agro-Business Opportunity in Nigeria: Tomato Paste Production

Thinking of a viable agribusiness to start that will guarantee good return on investment and be sustainable for the long-term? Maybe you don’t see yourself as a farmer or grower but still want to make and create wealth via farming or agribusiness?

Then tomato paste production is for you.

                                                                                                   Tomato Crop and Paste

Do not be surprised that Nigeria is one of the world’s biggest growers and consumers of tomato.

Countless truckloads of tomatoes can be seen almost on a daily basis making their way from the Northern part of the country where they are predominantly planted to the Southern region where they are generously consumed.

The sad part though is that a large chunk of this yummy crop does not make it into our pot of Stew, Edikaikong, Afam or Vegetable soup.

They are condemned and thrown away as waste, a couple of weeks after harvesting them.

The best way to store them for a much longer period therefore is to process the tomatoes into paste and package them properly.

Privatizing Agric Mechanization in Nigeria- The Challenges

Mechanizing agriculture in Nigeria is the best way to go. Even illiterate farmers know that. 

Agricultural equipment helps a farmer cultivate more with less labour.

Simply put, a farmer with access to a tractor could plant 10 hectares per day, compared to just one hectare per day if the same operation is being done manually with hoes and cutlasses with human labour.

Even a workaholic farmer can see the difference.

So why does the Nigerian farmer appear indifferent to the use of modern technologies in boosting his yield and thus his income?

Most of them still carry out subsistence farming trusting in the same crude tools that was popularize by the cave man two million years ago.

Is it that Nigerian farmers don’t welcome the use of high tech in farming? Far from it! 

Is technology a taboo, forbidden in the land? As far as I know, definitely not!

Then why is it that majority of our food growers still rely on hoes and cutlasses in the jet age? 

The reasons are not so far fetched. Two of the biggest challenges are:

Farmers, the Pride of the Human Race

Farming is a job to be proud of.

"I'd rather be on my farm, than be emperor of the world." - George Washington

Really, there's no shame to creating wealth from the most tangible and enduring of nature's gift to man - land.

Farmers are indeed a blessing to the human race. Without farming, we would all probably survive for a while on meat from hunting animals in the wild and creatures in the seas. And when that supply is exhausted we would more possibly turn on each other and human meat would be available at premium, on black market in the choice stores in New York.
Imagining that alone is scary but thanks to farmers we are spared the agony of experiencing it.

Apart from making wealth from their daily exertions, farmers derive unquantifiable satisfaction and pride in the awareness that their produce goes into feeding the over 7 billion people on this planet, raw materials for clothing and housing them, seeds and liquids providing bio-fuel for their use, and also plants and roots from which medicines are made to sustain and enhance their lives.

No other profession or invention can boast as much far reaching impact on our daily life. And if you are quick to point to the internet, it will be my pleasure to bust your bubble with the fact that the internet, more than three decades after it was launched, can still not be assessed by 3/4 of the world's populace! It can't simply compare.

Farm Cash: is there money to be made in farming?

Countless people look down on farming as a deadbeat job meant only for the poor, dirty, illiterate and the never do wells.

It's not a profession where you come across many people who are fashionable, well-dressed and who spend lavishly, so it's really hard to convince the youths and people who don't know any better that there's money to be made in farming.

With the advent of the internet and technology, the terms 'freelance', 'work from home', 'virtual jobs' and such have become fashionable and acceptable. We just don't want to stretch the legs and get the hands dirty any more.