The Nation Newspaper

Category: Small Business and Entreprenuership

  • Making fortune from breeding small animals

    Making fortune from breeding small animals

    Keeping small livestock can be profitable provided you have to choose the right species. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    f young people are going to be brought back into farming, it will be now. The opportunity to make money from small farming has never been better, especially with grass cutter and rabbits bringing returns that translate to higher net income for the owner. While other enterprises in agriculture look promising, keeping small animals is the best place to start.

    Prince Arinze Onebunne is a small livestock farmer. He rears rabbits, grasscutter, guinea pig, antelope and white rats, from which he earns enough to cater for his family including educating his children. He deployed his piece of land and some little resource in this venture, which he has grown into a multi-million enterprise.

    At his Jovana Farms, Onebunne breeds animals and also teaches people how to invest in grass cutter, mushroom, snail, fish, quail, geese and rabbit business. According to him, investing in grass cutter is a wise choice because it is a prolific animal. He explained that the female grasscutter litters twice a year and one female can litter as many as eight young ones at a time if well fed.

    “If a farmer, therefore, starts with say two colonies of eight females and two males, if the females litter twice a year, given an average of seven per female, you have 7x8x2, which gives 112 grasscutters in just one year,” he explained.

    For him, the capital requirement for grasscutter rearing is very low compared to the huge return on investment. With less than N70,000, you can kick start your grass cutter farming using cheap wooden cages and some space within your house. Feeding grasscutters is relatively cheap as they stay feed mainly on grass and vital supplements and give good return to the investor.

    Yet, the market is large, waiting for any intending farmer to start tapping from it.

    “You can make up to N300,000 from one female grasscutter alone and when it has completed the breeding circle in four years, you can still sell it as a big bush meat.

    Grasscutters are weighed before being sold. When they get to table size, you can dispose one for between N5,000 and N10,000, depending on the size. One kilogramme of grasscutter is sold for N2,000. Other areas one can make money in grass cutter farming are by breeding and supplying breeding stocks to farmers, selling table size live or smoked grass cutter to hotels, homes, schools, restaurants, relaxation centres, and so on,” he explained.

    Onebunne has become an authority in the sector, studying the animals’ behaviours and learning how to treat their illnesses. A lot of his friends have bought small animals after seeing how his farms kick-started his family’s climb out of poverty. For him, small animal farming is fascinating.The only thing is that it requires continuous hardwork and devotion without any distraction. The rabbit business, he said, is attractive, where a young person with ingenuity can get a start with a few rabbits and grow his stock within six months. He sees potential for an income that competes with the city job from a standard mini livestock farm. But managing grass, costs, and markets plays a key role in determining the level of profit producers can expect. If one decides to keep livestock on the farm, one needs to choose species that you are able to care for. With more than 10 years in agriculture business, Onebunne has a wealth of experience which any one keen on making money from animal rearing can tap from and rake profit.

    But like every other businesses, small animal farming has its own challenges. These include climate change, breeding location, feed supplies and funding.

    “If you really desire success in this line of business, you have got to be passionate so that you can turn your challenges to opportunities for great achievement,” he advised.

    Jovana Farms organises sensitisation training and seminars nationawide on how to make it in small-scale animal farming.

    He advised enthusiasts to visit www.jovanafarms.com for more details.

  • ‘Mentoring vital to business success’

    ‘Mentoring vital to business success’

    Charles Heyward is an American business mogul who has gone through ups and downs. He speaks on his success and why people either succeed or fail.  He shares his grass-to-grace story with DANIEL ESSIET.

    Charles Heyward, a United States-based business coach and entrepreneur.

    After graduating from Howard University, in Washington DC, with a B.A. in Finance, he worked at the prestigious Wall Street firm, Goldman Sachs.

    Surprisingly, at 24, while making a near six-digit income, he resigned and joined the real estate industry.

    He owned several investment properties.But the unexpected happened.

    “My real estate business was booming and had even purchased my ‘dream car’, a Cadillac Escalade ESV, which I fully paid for in cash. I purchased a house worth close to $500,000 and thought I was living the good life. I thought that I had achieved what I had dreamed. And then the real estate market and economy collapsed and I lost it all.

    “My marriage disintegrated, business was minimal, the investment properties had to be sold; my personal house was on the verge of foreclosure and I was emotionally and financially bankrupt.”

    That’s when he met one of his mentors, Mr. Demond Crump, who has only a high school education, and had gone from washing cars for seven years to earning hundreds of thousands of dollars (USD) a year. This accomplishment took him less than five months to accomplish!

    He met another mentor, Mr. David Imonitie. He is a college drop out, who by 27, was among the top five income earners in a fast-growing network marketing company.

    Imonitie, who taught him business success skills, had gone from living on his father’s couch to making thousands of dollars monthly in just two and half years.

    He also took his father’s advice: ”If you want to be successful, then find someone who is successful and do what they have done.”

    He said his biggest asset was belief in himself.

    Heyward said he had only $800 and his four sons in the house.

    He took $600 of the money and went into business with his mentors. It was a n unique idea. He didn’t have an impressive financial statement. He launched into the sale of a coffee drink. Since then, his life has not been the same. The change didn’t mean that all of a sudden he became a millionaire.

    With his business savvy and perseverance, he has grown his business from a one-man business operating out of his bedroom into a small business with its own office and employees.

    “What most people don’t understand is that you don’t become a successful person before you begin to think like a successful person. No. You must first began to think like someone who is successful, then you will begin make the decisions that successful people make and doing what successful people do … only then will your success become a reality. Unfortunately, most people don’t have a successful person that can teach them how to be successful.

    “I wanted to become a millionaire, but I didn’t know any millionaires until I partnered with Mr. Imonitie and Mr. Crump. They have been able to educate and guide me on this path,” Heyward recalled.

    He said he was very skeptical of network marketing, and thought it was a joke. His mentors were able to teach him how to use it to create a level of financial success to provide a means of livelihood for his family.

    According to him, the key to achieving business success is a mentor to guide one. “Someone who is where you want to be and will help you navigate the many pitfalls on your journey to success. There are many obstacles both real and imagined, that stop 95 per cent of people from achieving what they really want. A principle that my father, and my mentors, taught me was that the only way to obtain your dreams and goals, is to show others how to obtain their dreams and goals.”

    His firm does over $400 million every year. “We have a goal of doubling in size over the next 18 month and Nigeria will play a very large part in that. Those who take part will have an opportunity to create and extraordinary level of financial benefit for themselves and their families,” he said.

    His life’s mission is to teach others what his mentors have taught him.

    Heyward is excited about bringing Mr. Imonitie to Nigeria.

    He said the coffee drinks business has taken off and is one of the most exciting, booming industries.

  • ‘Export business is lucrative’

    ‘Export business is lucrative’

    Some entrepreneurs are gradually gaining international exposure and recognition through exports. Sunday Anjorin, Chief Executive, Anjorin & Atanda Investment Limited, is one of them, writes Daniel EssieT.

    Sunday Anjorin, Chief Executive, Anjorin &Atanda Investment Limited is a small scale agro commodities exporter.

    He exports timber and kola nuts to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.

    And for many entrepreneurs like Anjorin, exportation is helping them to cope with the downturn in the economy.

    While Anjorin has sailed through troubled waters to the island of victory, his success story can be likened to that of the proverbial drop of water becoming an ocean.

    He has made fortune from exporting commodities, such cocoa,sesame seed and shea nuts.

    As it is in any start-up business, he did an analysis of the market, especially how to reach his target – the buyers. Satisfied with its findings, and on obtaining a soft loan of N10, 000 from his wife’s first salary as a civil servant in Ekiti State, he launched into the murky waters of agro produce exportation. He made his first breakthrough with a profit of N250, 000.

    On the initial start up, Anjorin said an agro export business does not require huge capital. From his experience, prospective exporters can go into the business either in a small or big way. For instance, with N20,000, one can start a bitter kola export business, while with N700,000, commodities such as cocoa can be exported, he said.

    And the profit margin, he said, was also encouraging. “When you invest N15,000 in few pieces of bitter kola, you may get at least N4,000 profit,” he explained.

    His success the business shows its potential to eradicate poverty since it can also be done by small farmers, who constitute a greater part of the population. This, perhaps, gave him the impetus to charge young Nigerians about N20,000 to set up a bitter kola export business and see themselves making income that will launch them on to the path of success.

    According to Anjorin, there is a huge demand for soya beans, especially because of its multiple uses. With the help of knowledge, information and facts, he said entrepreneurs and farmers can get a better price for cotton, cocoa, sesame seeds and cashew.

    You don’t need a large space to start the business.They can start it from their bedrooms using an e-mail address, he said.

    He gets online export contracts and sends produce to buyers once he settles the price. Anjorin has also armed himself with information, which has helped him to take the business to a different level. He has clients spread in the country and Cameroon, which export processed timber.

    He said the potential to grow is enormous. “What counts is being able to source commodities which meet international standards and getting the produce to the buyer safely,” he said.

    This, he has been able to do, by reaching out to farmers for supplies, who partner him on the price for every produce.

    Anjorin is empowering small and medium scale enterprises’ (SMEs) owners to become major players in global markets. He provides them with knowledge to become and gives them contacts in the world market.

    However, he believes other SMEs should be aware of not just whether one’s product is right for another market but, crucially, getting paid.

    This makes taking out insurance to protect non-payment a good idea, as well as getting credit from other firms who have worked with a potential customer.

    Quoting for a business can be a challenge because of the exchange rate and the fact that terminologies and specifications of products differ from country to country.

    He deals with buyers in countries where he will not encounter language barriers and different business cultures to avoid confusion, advising that exporters to ensure that the ‘fine’ words of any order are clear.

    Yet, there is another problem. “There were times I was duped by local suppliers, and also some of my produce were rejected by customers overseas, leading to loss for me,” he lamented.

     

  • Reasons you don’t have to give up

    •You have already started. There is no need in stopping half way. I am sure stopping half way would not bring back all the time you have invested in ensuring that you achieve this project/plan.

    • You are almost there. Most times, problems don’t come until you are almost there. Remember, one painful thing about life is not achieving something you knew you could achieve, something that was almost within your reach.

    •You are stronger than your current problems. Even your problems are not there to intimidate you but to challenge you to get better and move higher. Your problem that looks like your number one enemy is actually your friend in disguise, always trying to ensure that you bring out the very best in yourself.

    • You believed you could do it in the first place, that was why you started. You believed you could achieve it, which was why you put all your effort together to start it. Why have you decided to betray this strong belief you had in yourself?

    • You have realised the benefits you will get when you complete this project/plan/mission of yours. Don’t you want them?

    • Every problem of yesterday is the success story of today. I am sure you want to be nicely dressed up in your suit, be on the center stage with a microphone probably in your hands, telling people how you made it to the top.

    • The problem you are facing now is what will give you the experience you need when you get to the next level. People that learned from their problems are able to cope better when they get to the next phase of their life.

    •The problem and your promotion are directly proportional.The bigger your problem, the bigger your promotion. The more you run from your problem, the more you lower your promotion. So, it’s up to you to decide. Be wise.

    •You were probably tired of your previous position, title or state, which was why you tried something new. Are you willing to go back to your previous position?

    •You have a Big GOD that is ready to support you. He knows the beginning and he knows the end. He created you to experience life fully and he believes in you. God has given you power and authority over everything including your problems, so you have no reason to allow your problems to subdue you.

    •Seun Emmanuel Alaofin the Chief Publisher/Chief Executive SEA Publication, a publication that comes out monthly to give hope and impact lives positively.

  • ‘How global partnership has expanded SMEs’

    ‘How global partnership has expanded SMEs’

    Mr. Elo Umeh is Chief Executive Officer, Terragon Group Limited, one of the start-ups involved in the Federal Government’s YOUWIN project. Adetutu Audu met him in Lagos and he spoke about his life and passion for digital advertising.

    What was the driving force that prompted the establishment of Terragon Group Limited?

    Terragon Group is basically one of the products of necessity borne out of the strategic vision of a group of individuals who are my co-founders. What we saw was that the world was moving into the digital world. We observed that there was a sharp shift from television, radio and other traditional means to the internet. We also saw that there was an increasing traffic build up on the internet, which needed to be explored. Again, we looked at the ecosystem and we realised that there was a need to give birth to a business that would focus on the new media system, which of course will be driven by mobile and internet. It was this background that led to the emergence of Terragon Group. We started with mobile content aggregation, giving support to the talented people who are creating quality content and helping them monetise it. Through this, we were able to give necessary support to musicians, news reporters and creative minds in general. Through our intervention, we were able to help this set of people put their works on the mobile channel, from where it is monetised.

    Can you take us through a few solutions Terragon normally deploys to grow brand equity?

    I think the first approach has always been to identify our target audience and the mode of interacting with them. For instance, if we are targeting the youths, we will ensure that brands engage with them via the digital channel, letting them know the value of the brand, as well as how, where, and when to get the products or services being offered by the brand. We aim to influence their decisions and make them buy. Like I said earlier, the youth population drives consumption, and we know that in Nigeria and the sub-Sahara market, digital communication is limited, so what we have been doing over the last four years is educating brand owners on the value of digital advertising. Of course, such education will involve budgets and other resources which, if put together, will help us reach out to the target audience more effectively.

    Meanwhile, our strategy revolves round our three respective touch points and execution channels. As a group, we deploy our strategies through: Terragon Limited, Terrragon Media Services and Twinpine. Terragon Limited is the mobile content aggregation platform while Terragon Media Services handles digital marketing in the area of brand equity and engagement, data analysis, business intelligence and brand content strategy. The third is Twinpine, which is an Africa-focused premium mobile advertising network that helps brands and advertisers to reach consumers via locally targeted mobile platforms. To sum it up, Terragon is an enabler with a variety of solutions to help brands, agencies and organisations.

    What platforms do you have to show your work globally?

    Expectedly, we have been interacting with a lot of individuals and organisations online and we exchange with partners globally. But beyond this, in February next year we will be exhibiting at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (Spain). Without a doubt, the exhibition will be used as an avenue to showcase the works of Terragon Group to the global community. We also have offices in Accra, Nairobi, London, Cape Town, Bangalore and Port Louis and these locations also help us reach out effectively to our customers and partners.

    Do you have any support or affiliations?

    Yes, for example we were involved in FG/YOUWIN project and it was indeed a good experience. And we want to use this medium to sincerely thank the Federal Government for conceiving, and executing that project, especially to the young minds like us. The results of the initiative have been very positive and we hope to see a new generation of successful entrepreneurs emerge as a direct consequence of this project.

    What strategies are being implemented by Terragon to move more prospects through the digital funnel in Nigeria?

    What we do is to engage the services of experts and to invest in Technology. We ensure that we hire the best hands for the job. Often, instead of employing someone who is not qualified for a vacant position, we would rather let the position lie fallow.

    Is the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria in any way a setback for you?

    We have adjusted to the style of the deficit, and when you talk of power for instance, it is not our primary challenge in Terragon. Our challenge and concern is to develop the mobile channel hub of the Nigeria economy. After this, we can talk about power.

    What exactly are you doing to address this?

    It’s simple, having known that the PHCN is unable to meet the power needs of Nigerians successfully, what we are doing is to ensure that people are reached through their mobile devices. In days past, we depended heavily on traditional methods of advertising, where reaching out to people is subject to time. But the case is not like that with digital communication where you can speak to your audience even in their closet, and that is what we are doing. So the mobile phone is a strong link between the government and the people.

    Since the digital landscape is vast, success lies in having a consumer focus strategy and clear business goals.

    What distinguishing strategy has the Terragon group adopted over the years?

    It is simple! We have gone viral, with offices in London, Kenya, Uganda, and over half the continents of the world. It’s part of our strategy to capture the African continent through excellent execution and relationship management.

    Your area of specialisation is unique, is there any relationship between what you do now and your background?

    If we look at it from the generation I belong to, there could be some influences because of the current trend of things globally. The world has become a global village, where digital media is the in-thing. Narrow it down to my family background, there is no correlation. I came from an average home, born in Jos, Plateau State. The family came to Lagos when I was Four, settled in Anthony Village then we moved to Ajao Estate, Isolo Lagos state. My parents are not the moneybag but they value education and good upbringing.

    What exactly inspires you?

    Making good of the talent God has given me inspires me. I read business administration in school; I majored in business. In our family, we never got anything on a platter of gold; rather we work for anything we have gotten. To some extent, my mum is business inclined, but I don’t think that is where the inspiration came from. But I think the training ethics of my mum plays a factor.

    It is believed in some quarters that the youth segment is more accessible via digital platform than other segments of the market. Do you share this belief?

    I agree with that assumption to a large extent but let me quickly add that the entire market is today crucial to the digital revolution. Yes, the youth segment is easier to reach because they spend more time on the internet but the truth is that the older members of this generation and even the children are not lagging behind in the process. Having said this, I think the youth market is, in the actual sense, important in driving consumption because if you can hit them, you can link other segments of the market. At that point, you can relax and say your campaign is successful. These days, the older folks rely on the youths to make their decisions.

    In recent debates, some analysts are of the opinion that the digital media will soon edge out the traditional platforms, what is your take?

    Much as I agree that the digital media have some advantages over traditional media, I don’t subscribe to the thought that the traditional will die completely. I also want to emphasise the fact that we are not competing with the traditional folks. Traditional advertising will remain but the truth is that there is the need for people to interact via the digital sector in our economy. That is the gap we are trying to bridge. We are trying to ensure that consumers and brands are able to come up with a personalised engagement across digital channels, using the best and appropriate technology. Another important point to note is that the players in the digital media space will be taking a chunk of the budget meant solely for the traditional media because business owners will always look beyond the traditional to be able to be on the same page with the global trends.

     

  • Ministry, others to support Plateau poultry farmers

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) over the weekend pledged to support Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Plateau chapter.

    The organisations pledged support in Jos, at the inauguration of the association’s new office complex at Dadin-Kowa, in Jos South Local Government Area.

    Mr Daniel Kakwi, the Director, Plateau Green House of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said that the ministry had empowered 100 poultry farmers under its Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) in the state.

    Kakwi, represented by Dr Steven Dowoh, Assistant Director (Vet), said that the farmers were given birds, feeds and drugs at subsidised rates.

    He assured the PAN that they would continue to get more of such support from the ministry.

    “The Federal Government is interested in doing business with associations because individuals have failed government.

    “Most times when they (individuals) collect loans, to pay back so that it keeps revolving becomes a problem.

    “But for an association, if one person is not there, the other will and that has encouraged government to do business with them,” he said.

    The director said that forms for the Growth Enhancement Scheme in poultry were available and urged farmers to make use of the opportunity.

    “If you are interested, you can pick an expression of interest form from our office for participation in the Growth Enhancement Scheme,” he said.

    Prof. Longmas Wapmuk, ITF Director General, in his remarks, also said that the ITF would never be tired of supporting the farmers in their quest to improve on their performance and productivity.

     

  • ‘How I found success in natural products manufacturing

    ‘How I found success in natural products manufacturing

    A  Lagos-based entrepreneur, Pastor Olukayode Talabi, Chief Executive, Flourish Coaat Nigeria Limited, finds success in natural products, Daniel Essiet reports

    The Chief Execu tive, Flourish Coaat Nigeria Limited, Olukayode Talabi’s story is akin to that of some people: a group of entrepreneurs driven by passion.

    They start with food production. And soon, the sale of their products is growing twice as fast as those it met in the market.

    Talabi’s product Moringa is yielding good sales. Why not? It is well known among those with ailments. The firm’s sea salt products are doing very well.

    Yet, he is not resting on his oars. He is doing a lot of product innovation. New opportunities have led to new products. He considers innovation as important.

    To stay ahead of his competitors, he has got to move forward and put as many points of differentiation between him and competitors as possible. For him, the nutritional value and content of food have become of much greater interest.

    According to Talabi, his vision for a chain of organic and natural food products grew out of the need for natural products that can address the various therapeutic needs of Nigerians.

    His first entrepreneurial foray was a financial consultancy business as an accountant. Later, he began to find relief in alternative treatments, diet changes, and nutritional supplements.The deeper he waded into the growing area of healthy eating and therapeutic supplements, the more he realised he stumbled on a concept he could convert into a business.

    In 2009, when he started the production of natural products, which offer several vitamins and supplements, from his house, he had only N300,000.

    Today, the business he runs with his wife is worth N1million.

    He has two employees. The company is a medium sized organic and all natural foods business based on his conviction that “food is our best medicine’’.

    He sticks to the mantra of no refined sugar, pesticides, chemical preservatives, or hydrogenated oils. The business has been profitable. Its success is hinged on basic product integrity along with its emphasis on customer education and outreach.

    He is confident that if he focuses on carving niche, which is natural foods and supplements, the business will continue to thrive. As more Nigerians grab organic food products, Talabi’s continued success seems determined.

    The description of ingredients on packs is being introduced, including the percentages of fat and saturated fats. This is an opportunity for him to get a chunk of the market.

  • From youth service to farming

    A new breed of graduates has realised that the elusive white collar job is not worth chasing after all. They have their eyes trained on agriculture. Matthew Adewole is one of them. DANIEL ESSIET reports

    NTEGRATING traditional system of agriculture with new technology is what some young graduates are doing to make a living.

    These entrepreneurs are using knowledge gained from the university to create innovative products and add value to existing ones. The focus is on good agronomic practices to produce high quality yield.

    Temitope Matthew Adewole is one entrepreneur with his eyes trained on agriculture.

    When he left school, he had two choices: either to join the teeming white collar job seekers or to find a job. He chose the latter. But choose a job most young educated folks detest: farming.

    He has become the envy of his friends and colleagues, particularly those still designing their curriculum vitae for any new job opening.

    Within a year of planting five hectares of cassava, intercropped with corn and water melon, Temitope has raised enough money to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    He also bought a fairly used Mercedes Benz 190 car to overcome his transportation challenges.

    He has been able to help his younger undergraduate sister offset her tuition for one semester.

    Temitope, 29, says he is happy with his work and is not thinking of taking up any paid employment.

    A graduate of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology from the University of Ibadan,his love for farming took him back to his roots in Ekiti State where he practises his new found love.

    “I grew up in Lagos State where I was born. I attended my primary and secondary school education in Lagos State,” said Temitope who is not ashamed to be called a farmer.

    “What I do is farming. I am a farmer, of course not a peasant farmer. But a professional farmer,” he stressed.

    He was not coerced into farming. He said: “This is what I have loved to do. I decided to go back to Ekiti. Ekiti is my state but I was not born in Ekiti. My parents are in Lagos. I was born in Lagos State. They are still in Lagos State. I decided to come to Ekiti to start a farming project.”

    Not a stranger to agriculture, he is comfortable with his choice. “I have practised it. I did it during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I did it in school,” he said.

    “After my university education,” he continued, “I was posted to Odeda Local Government Area in Ogun State for my NYSC. As a young graduate, I thought of what to do. I have seen a lot. My friends that are graduates already, and my brothers, could not even find jobs. So, I decided on what to do.”

    I thought of a ‘plan A,’ to go for my Masters and a ‘plan B,’ to go into farming. How do I do it without funds? I went back to Ibadan to pick up a form for my masters. I was admitted.”

    Temitope had to put the programme on hold after completing his course work.

    “Along the way, my uncle, Dr. Wole Olugboji, who works in Ekiti, called me, that I should come to Ekiti if I am interested in farming. I decided to come to Ekiti to start a farming project.

    ‘”My uncle said there is this programme the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration is doing, that is the Youth in Commercial Agricultural Development (YCAD), asking if I am interested,” he said, adding, however, the caveat: “that it was not automatic. I was going to fight for it.”

    Emboldened, he took a step: “Since it was what I studied in school, I thought I should be able to do it. I obtained the form and entered for the programme. Interview was conducted. Out of 1,000 candidates, 150 were picked. I was lucky to be among them.”

    Thus began Temitope’s journey in farming.

    Initially, Temitope had some hardships, but they turned out rewarding in so short a time.

    “I have never worked in an office,” he confessed. “I see farming as a challenge, but since I don’t have any job, I decided to pick this. Many of us were called, but some couldn’t make it because they thought it wouldn’t work out.”

    He started without any physical assets of his own, but has started building his own assets.

    “When I came to Ado-Ekiti and started the farming, I started with nothing other than what Governor Fayemi promised: that was the N1.4 million for each beneficiary. We were not given cash, but everything we needed on the farm was provided but was deducted from the N1.4 million.

    “As you can see, I have this cassava intercropped with water melon. I have harvested the water melon. That is why you cannot find it. This is the cassava. I have done this for a year, which I have harvested. I can really stand and call myself a man from the little I made last year: just a year. I really say a big thank you to the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi. It was a good initiative.

    “There is a lot that I have done with the cassava money within a year that I can’t even say. I don’t think that there is any job one can offer me that I will run to and leave this farm. This is where I think my wealth comes from. I don’t think there is any place that would have paid me what I have realised so far. Within this short period.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Most friends did not see reasons with him at first as he said that “when I started it, a lot of friends were laughing at me. They said: “Tope, you that grew up in Lagos State, you are going back to your state to farm. What are you thinking of? What are you doing?” Even, the person I was dating could not make it up with me because of the farming that I decided to pick.”

    That was then. “But now,” he revealed, “I am very happy because they are running after me. They want me to teach them how I did it. A friend of mine sent a request to me that I should be his best man. He also told two other friends: two of his friends. He said we are going to need this, we are going to buy this. Whoever can provide for these would be the best man. Of course, the other two are working in a bank.”

    “Immediately he told me, within 24 hours, (I just completed the harvesting my cassava and I still had a lot that I can still spend. I gave my sibling part of it, and paid my house rent) and I was able to pay within 24 hours; to send the money to him. He was very surprised. The other two friends working in the bank could not. They asked if the next two months was too late to pay. I paid the money and I was able to go to Lagos. I told him I would pay for my accommodation to help him. I could afford the hotel accommodation money by myself, and that was from the cassava money.”

    “When I started, I was staying with my uncle that invited me. After a year, and when I harvested my cassava, I got myself a two-bedroom apartment in an estate in Ado Ekiti. One of the problems I encountered in the course of farming was transportation. It was not easy. When I harvested, I thought I needed something to keep me mobile. I decided to buy a small car for the purpose of my farming. This enabled me to move my cassava cuttings and transfer my labourers from one part of my farms to another.”

    “It all became easier. Before, they used to complain because of transportation and some were not ready to come to come to farm because of transportation. The transportation has helped and added glamour to my life and got many of my friends interested because they did not believe I could get a house rented in one year or get a car within a year on five hectares. I am also able to help my sibling who is an undergraduate in the university in Ado Ekiti. I helped her to pay for one semester and told my dad not to worry, that I would pay for her.”

    The role of federal government alongside the state government in boosting agriculture and empowering the youth was given prominence in Temitope’s comments. The motivation to produce cassava came after he heard the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, during his visit to Governor Fayemi on YCAD in Ekiti State in 2012. “Actually, my thought was to go into agriculture. The minister of agriculture has made it compulsory for me to go into agriculture; and that is because of what he has been saying, what I have been listening to, what he has been doing, what he said about the cassava flour, the cassava bread: I think with these, I could be able to make a lot from my cassava. That is why I ventured into cassava production because of what he said, because I know there will be market for my cassava.”

    Temitope has this to say of the trio that inspired him into what he is doing now: “When my uncle, Dr. Wole Olugboji, invited me, I picked up the form for interview. We were not sure what we were going to make out of it. Until the minister of agriculture came and told us what we can make out of cassava. Then I felt more secure that I could make money out of farming because of the things he said. He said we the 150 farmers that Governor Fayemi picked were very lucky and that, in addition to what the governor did, he too would support us, and that the governor was thinking in the same direction with him. He said, by the time we he comes up with his own plan, we will be the first to benefit in the state.”

    Temitope called for cooperation between the federal and Ekiti State governments to boost the cassava industry. “I am using this opportunity to call on the federal government to key in to help. I have heard about this agricultural transformation agenda, which I think will really help. In Osin here, we have over 400 hectares of cassava and these continue wasting when we don’t have processing units where we can process into the cassava flour that the minister of agriculture has made mention of, when he came visiting during the YCAD programme in 2012,” he noted.

    “Another thing is that I want a situation whereby the federal government will work in collaboration with the state government to help the youth because what Governor Kayode Fayemi has done is really working out. I don’t think I need an office job,” Temitope emphasised.

    Temitope is already thinking like a businessman. Now, he is looking forward to doing business with corporate agro-entrepreneurs. “Again, another thing is seed production. When I was in school, I did a lot on seed production. Today, in Ekiti, our peasant farmers just go for seeds. They don’t even know the one that is good or that is bad. Like a professional farmer, you need to take that seed to the laboratory to do the ‘selfing’, to know the ones that have bigger parents so that it will be the big offspring. I will like the federal government to help on this so that I can be linked to reputable companies that I can supply seeds for because we are experts on this: even cassava cuttings. When we harvest our cassava, we could easily sell the cuttings out. This is another gain for us.”

  • NASME to hold confab in UK March 17

    The Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) is holding a bilateral trade and investment conference to promote investment, trade and exports in non-oil sectors in the United Kingdom (UK) between March 17 and 18.

    Its Director of Public Relations, Mr Nerus Ekezie, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    According to him, the conference is being organised in with Nigerians in the Diaspora, the Nigerian High Commission in the UK and UK Trade and Industry (UKTI).

    Ekezie said: “It will bring together Nigerian public and private sector organisations, businesses and potential UK investors.

    “It will also foster stronger participation by the Diaspora in the economic development of Nigeria,’’ he said.

     

  • ‘Why SMEs are shunning bank loans’

    High lending rates are frustrating the growth of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) as entrepreneurs shun bank loans.

    Interest rates hover around 22 and 28 per cent.

    Speaking at their monthly meeting in Lagos, the President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria(AMEN), Prince Saviour Iche, said access to finance is a barrier to the growth of SMEs.

    He said the private sector relies on banks and financial institutions hence the need for banks to engage these firms.

    He claimed that banks do not care about small businesses.

    Iche said small firms’ owners’ confidence have waned, as their investment intentions have fallen due to the state of economy and lack of access to finance.

    As a result, small businesses don’t expect to increase their staff soon.

    He advocated a plan to increase access to finance and boost competition in the sector.

    He called on the government to support and promote small businesses through regulation and funding through banks or by looking at the tax system.

    Small business owners, he maintained, were yet to show the same signs of confidence on business prospects.

    Rather, he said, they are taking longer time to find their feet again. As a result, he said industrial production has shrunk, hit by a reduction in manufacturing.

    igh lending rates are frustrating the growth of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) as entrepreneurs shun bank loans.

    Interest rates hover around 22 and 28 per cent.

    Speaking at their monthly meeting in Lagos, the President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria(AMEN), Prince Saviour Iche, said access to finance is a barrier to the growth of SMEs.

    He said the private sector relies on banks and financial institutions hence the need for banks to engage these firms.

    He claimed that banks do not care about small businesses.

    Iche said small firms’ owners’ confidence have waned, as their investment intentions have fallen due to the state of economy and lack of access to finance.

    As a result, small businesses don’t expect to increase their staff soon.

    He advocated a plan to increase access to finance and boost competition in the sector.

    He called on the government to support and promote small businesses through regulation and funding through banks or by looking at the tax system.

    Small business owners, he maintained, were yet to show the same signs of confidence on business prospects.

    Rather, he said, they are taking longer time to find their feet again. As a result, he said industrial production has shrunk, hit by a reduction in manufacturing.