A young entrepreneur, Henry Adigun, is making a living by breeding dogs and farming in Iwo in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State. DANIEL ESSIET reports.
HIS entrepreneurial ecumen blossomed early. As a kid in Lagos, Henry Adigun bred dogs. He realised that the price of a well-bred dog is more than the huge amount spent on its up bringing.
Armed with this knowledge, he put more efforts into breeding dogs. His strategy was to stick to one dog. Before then, he was raising many breeds. With perseverance, he built a thriving business – selling both pets and guard dogs.
Adigun went for the one that cost N150, 000 per puppy. It was an expensive venture – raising puppies – but it was worthwhile.
Like most conscientious business persons, Adigun made the well-being of dogs a priority, by getting his vet doctor to treat them regularly. Because of this, he was able to sell his dogs at a huge profit. Today, he is happy he has turned his life-long passion for dogs into a business that generates alot of money. Over the years, his clientele grew to include the high and mighty in the society. This is because he sold puppies that are pedigree.
Though dogs gave him his first business breakthrough, Adigun plans to build a profitable agro business enterprise and form a club of rural-leaders trained to transform agriculture into a rewarding enterprise.
Driven by this ambition, Adigun, who is the Chief Executive of Yomex Organic Farm, went on to acquire a 16- acre farmland in Iwo area of Oyo State. Now, he also cultivates vegetables using organic methods. His two-year-old,Yomex Organic Farm is located in a rural town, 30-minute drive from Iwo, near Ibadan. The peculiarity of the farm is that he does not use any chemical fertiliser. His innovative farming techniques and cost-effective farm equipment have brought down expenses. Each season, he grows short date maturity crops selected for their superior taste and quality. Adigun also grows crops because they have high return and strives to make everything as profitable as possible.
His cucumber farm is one of the most popular in Iwo. In a good month, he takes home over N400, 000. Adigun said tomatoes are also profitable, but that farmers need to take care of the plants. With an eye for a big demand, he has taken to organic vegetable farming. According to him, growing vegetables fits into his plan of profitable farming.
Season extension has been important to his farm since it makes certain crops more profitable and extends growing/selling season. To achieve this, he has built a low-cost greenhouse. The greenhouse, occupies very little space, but would bring in very good yields.
Part of good money management, according to him, is knowing when to spend money and when not to do so. Since he realised that irrigation was essential, he put an irrigation system to cultivate acres.
Since the farm does not have electricity, he built a solar unit to power it. He wants to add a furnished apartment to house interns and guest bedrooms for visitors.
Managing the business has its highs and lows. Profits are high during the dry season when some crops are in short supply. To maintain a profitable farm, Adigun, apart from planting various crops, has made a foray into livestock. He is raising free range goats and pastured chickens. He plans to sell goats’ milk.
For him, the biggest challenge in owning a small business is finding and keeping employees. Still, he has been fortunate to attract people who liked the farm.
Adigun said agriculture has become a part of his life. He could not even think of doing anything else. He has no time to party or socialise the way most successful entrepreneurs do. He is busy at his farm at the weekend. It is a gutsy and graceful blossoming of entrepreneurship. According to him, his goal is to make farming a full-time venture, and to raise a family with a good quality of life. The other mission includes educating other farmers by mentoring, having interns, presenting workshops and more. He urged growers to go to conferences, visit other farms, and learn how to make profits.
Though the journey has been long, it is not without some challenges. However, persistence, and the zeal to succeed has reaped results in the last two years.
Through exceptional entrepreneurship skills, Adigun has proved that the much-needed second green revolution would come.