The Nation Newspaper

Tag: sales

  • Farmers lament drop in sales

    The activities of the Boko Haram Islamic sect in the Northeastern part of Nigeria is impacting negatively on the output of poultry farmers across Nigeria as the lingering activities of insurgents have resulted in a drop in sales of poultry products.

    The National President of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, revealed this during the group’s Second Poultry Summit held at the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Alausa.

    While lamenting the situation, Oduntan said the activities of Boko Haram are seriously affecting members of the association who are into poultry farming, as the drop in sales is due to non-availability of some raw materials, usually sourced from the affected states.

    He said exportation of raw materials to neighbouring countries had become impossible while access to raw materials like maize and groundnuts was threatening the poultry business.

    Oduntan added that the insurgency has paralysed retail sales in the North as a result of a non-existent nightlife during which northerners usually sell eggs in very large quantities to tea sellers.

    He called on the Federal Government to provide maximum support for the poultry business as it currently cannot meet the volume of demand for poultry products in the entire country.

    Oduntan said the association decided to chart a new course by coming up with a poultry development plan that covers 10 years (2013-2023) because “poultry is a multi-billion Naira business within the agricultural sub-sector.

    “We need to take our destiny in our hands because it is obvious we can be exporting eggs to the whole of West African sub-region.

    “We have come up with the strategic framework for the Egg and Chicken Promotion Board. The main focus shall be market development for chicken and eggs. Other core responsibility of this body shall include research, trade promotion and education,” he said.

    He called on the Federal Government to give poultry farmers special status.

    “We need to be treated especially as it was done in developed countries. Government has to solve the problem of multiple taxations. We demand allocation of maize by the Strategic Grain Reserve at discounted prices for our farmers,” he said.

    Head, Poultry Transformation Team of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prof.  Funsho Shonaiya said standards have been set in five areas for operators in the poultry business to ensure professionalism and top-level industry best practices.

    He listed the five areas as breeder farming, feed mill operations, hatcheries, slaughter house operations, and safe usage of poultry drugs and vaccines.

    Shonaiya, who represented the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina said the ministry has made progress in poultry commercial production.

    The minister explained that the challenges the ministry experienced is the need for standard and what made good system of production in poultry.

    He said: “What we are advocating is voluntary implementation of standard,” adding that the ministry will soon embark on categorisation and certification of poultry industry in the country.”

  • Making a living from sales

    Making a living from sales

    Ifeoma Nwanfili has moved from being an unemployed youth to becoming a successful sales woman. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    In the Nigeria’s challenging economy, many people have turned to sales to make a living. One of them is Ifeoma Nwanfili, Chief Executive, Scents

    She has always dreamt of making a career in sales. As a girl, she saw salespeople, going from house to house in the hot afternoon, trying to convince homeowners to buy their goods. From then on, she worked towards achieving her aspiration.

    She worked with a travel agency. But her salary was small. She later resigned and started selling recharge cards. At a time, the company starting owing salaries. Because of this, she was forced to quit.

    With N7000, she bought a cooler and a few items and  started  selling cooked  rice  and salad at Berger Bus stop on the Apapa-Oshodi Expresssway, Lagos. Her food was  good and it brought a lot of people. That was how she became popular. She made more customers. Soon, she won a large chunk of the market at the bus stop. She was excited and continued working hard.

    She proved to be so adept at sales and was able to build a good clientele. But after a few months, she  shifted from food business to learn fashion designing. On graduation, she started a fashion designing business with the aim of sewing quality products. In a short time, people started calling  for her services and she gained their trust. What she didn’t expect — especially in the competitive fashion industry — was that sales would rise  quickly. She came out at a time contemporary dresses were in vogue. She rode on the crest of this and learned how to build a good business. Her growth was notable because she found success in the fashion industry. But she did not give up. She was determined to do everything she could to make sure that  she was successful.

    She envisioned a company in which she could become as successful as she wanted to be. For her, the doors would be opened for people who were willing to pay the price.

    Though a sales person, she was  not  satisfied with the fashion designing. She  realised she  has the ability to do other things.

    Along the line something happened in her family that made her to spend much of her savings. She  was left with nothing. She had to go back to selling to give herself opportunity  to go back to  school. Starting from the scratch, she networked with some people who gave her the opportunity that made   that made to excel.

    As a sales person, she needed to find good products to sell. It should be something people could believe in, that they could recommend, and, most importantly, products that could be used up and re-ordered. She knew that when people look good, they feel good, because their self-confidence is strong. And that idea set her on her journey. She began selling perfumes and other goods to pay her bills. She was ready to sell product to make money. Her indomitable spirit and belief has had a huge impact on her.

    Nwanfili urged young persons to step out and not to be deterred by past failure.

  • Dollar sales at RDAS hit $1.3b in three weeks

    Dollar sales at RDAS hit $1.3b in three weeks

    Dollar sales at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) moderated bi-weekly Retail Dutch Auction System (RDAS), stood at $1.3 billion in the last three weeks, The Nation findings have shown.

    The auctions analysed from the CBN website, included a $186.9 million sale on October 2; $231.1 million on October 7 and $297.2 million on October 10. There were also $276.3 million sale on October 14 and $299.5 million sale on October 21, making a cumulative figure of $1.3 billion.

    Further findings showed that the apex bank maintained steady dollar supplies of $300 million at each RDAS held during the period. According to the CBN, the naira exchange rate remained stable at the RDAS segment of the foreign exchange market during the period. The exchange rate at the RDAS during the review period opened and closed at N157.32 to a dollar, while the average rate during the preceding period was N157.31 to a dollar. Analysts insisted that the RDAS introduction could trigger dollar scarcity in the coming months.

    The apex bank said: “The stability of the exchange rate reflected the commitment of the regulator to supporting the naira at a time of massive depreciation in the currencies of emerging and frontier countries. This commitment was underscored by the policy of intervention to improve supply conditions, and the very tight monetary conditions.”

    The CBN had on October 2 replaced Wholesale Dutch Auction System (WDAS) with the RDAS, because of the ineffectiveness of the former in addressing hitches in the foreign exchange market.