FOOD AND FASHION

The average Nigerian is trendy. This attitude carries across all aspects of our lives and sometimes leads to people finding themselves in jobs they do not care for and therefore cannot excel at and unsustainable expenses and commitments. The end result is mediocrity, frustration, failure and loss of time, money and esteem. Therefore before making any commitment of limited resources of time, money and energy it is important to ask yourself why?

Why do I want to venture into agriculture, is it because it’s the latest trend? Do I really have the time, patience, financial resources and mind-set? How much do I know about what I think I would like to do? In making any commitment it is important to ask why, and follow it through with some introspection. If you are true to yourself and still decide to venture, the next steps should be research. Lots of research, and then still more research. If you spend time understanding, you will have an in-depth picture of what needs to be done and even though you thought you were for it, you may decide to wait for a more auspicious time, modify your initial plans or back out entirely.

What part of the Agribusiness value chain do you want to be involved in? The first thing that occurs to most people is to setup a farm of some sort. That is one small aspect of Agribusiness, and usually the one with the highest risk and the lowest profit, but it is profitable and has its own special rewards. If your ‘thing’ is to own a farm, then by all means do so, but make sure you know what is involved. I acknowledge that even with the best laid plans and the research, unforeseen things happen, but if you’re committed and armed with knowledge then you wade through and gain experience.

The best form of research is to ask questions, please avoid consultants who are not doing what you want to do. The best place to buy rubies is from a jeweller, not from the butcher. There are many people out there taking advantage of the lack of information concerning agribusiness and using the opportunity to fleece. There are also training and information seminars, agri-groups and online information courses, but please be cautious with the internet. Look for at least 3 people doing what you would like to do, approach them, if it’s a farm ask if you may visit, (not all farms allow visitors). You may need to pay a fee. Not everyone will be totally open but you will gain insight. If you are an innovator then your approach will involve reading up, experimenting, YouTube, and remember that “Google is your friend”. There is no short cut to it, even if you have the funds to hire enough staff, you need to know what your business involves, to maximize profit.

The goal of the research is to have a foundation, you may agree or disagree with what you see or hear, but you learn. You may decide to do it differently or make it better, but it’s somewhere to start from. Agribusiness is complex; therefore you must be clear about where you want to stand in the agribusiness mix. Would it be Farming, logistics, processing, packaging, storage and cold chain, extension work, equipment sales and lease, training, farm support (irrigation, geological survey, borehole drilling) , sales of farm implements and inputs (hand tools, sprayers, seeds, fertilizers, manure, feed, vaccines etc.), construction, marketing and sales, etc. There are circles within circles and clarity is important.

Start asking the questions right now, if you’re already in the mix, continue asking and know that there is help out there, but only for those who seek it. The saying goes ‘He who asks for directions will not lose his way’. All the best as we journey together …..