The is no questioning the fact that agriculture is the present gold mine for Nigeria now, but for agriculture to be the gold mine it must be driven through the value chain model. This book explores some agriculture values chain business that you can do with leaving you present work. It gives the practical approach to the agricbiz as the author is well versed in it. It demystify the agro export business in Nigeria and also shows agricultural manufacturing business that you can set up without owning a factory . The essence is to show that you can make Millions from Agricultural value chain and drive employment.
If you need a copy call the author (07034706326)

Making Millions from soya beans

There is no questioning the fact that agriculture is the next gold mine that is yet to be tapped in Nigeria. The opportunities offered by this sector are so enormous that it can turn an investor into a billionaire in a very short time.

Soyabeans is one grain that is highly needed in the country, it could serve as a cash crop to be exported, a raw material  to be processed for it oil content,  protein and over 300 industrial uses. It is one of the cheapest and richest form of protein. There is high demand for industrial use more than the domestic use, as matter of fact the demand for industrial use  overstripped supply.    

Although Nigeria is the largest producer of Soyabean in the West African region, According to CBN report,  the demand for soyabean is valued at N300 billion and unfortunately  Nigeria as country can only produce 25% percent of the quantity  needed, making large gap of 75% to be filled. 30% of the demand gap is being meet by importation.

There are different ways in which an investor could exploited the opportunities offered by soyabeans .

1.      Going into mechanize farming of  soyabeans.

The opportunity of going into mechanize farming of soyabeans  is huge, In 2014, the price for Soyabeans was N75,000 per ton  in November, but in six months later the price per ton was going for N168,000. The sharp rise in price is largely caused by  demand.

   

2.      Partnership with local farmers on cultivations of Soyabeans

An investor could decide to partner with the locals in cultivation of soyabeans. These also have its own added advantage in terms of volume and other things.  

  

3.      Commodities marketing of soyabeans  

The profit  margin is high in marketing of soyabeans to industrial users but you have to learn be schooled in the business.  

4.      Processing and production of products derived from soya beans

Who smile to the bank better than you, because you have decide to add value.

The opportunities in the soyabeans  subsector is enormous but an investor must  have is fact right before investing. A detailed feasibility study is needed and I can guide and execute. (iniobong4solution@gmail.com ,07034706326

Discover the secret of Making money from agro commodity trading

There are different agro produces in the country that  one can go into marketing especially for companies that have used them as raw materials. These agro produces are Corn (maize), Sorghum , Guniean Corn , Soya beans , Wheat , Millet , Cotton seed and several other. What I have mention here  is mostly grains.

There are several ways to make money from agro commodities especially if it involves supplies:

Broker: One can visit companies that are involve in production that have need for these agro produces and sources LPO( Local Purchase Order)  from them. Now you bargain with companies or individuals that can supply the order and get commission from them. Usually these commission is always consider on the number of tons , how frequent the supply will be needed and the payment method. For example , if a company need say 100tons of corn at a certain price, you can strike a deal with a supplier to take N1,000 per ton and that amount to making N100,000 as a broker with no risk on your side .

 Supplier:  One can decide to supply the company directly and make money.

Before you venture into supplying of grains directly that certain things that you must be aware, so that you don’t loses your investment.

1.     Term of payment: what is the terms of payment of theses companies that you want to supply,  some companies pay after 24 hours, 48 hours , 7 days, 2 weeks and even 45 days .Note that Companies that pay from 2weeks must have a slight higher price.

for example if   company A is buying corn for say N60,000 per ton and pays after deliver 24hours, Company B must pay at least N63,000 per ton if payment is after 2weeks or 45days .

2.     Offloading & Scaling  : Most companies(if not all) won’t tell you that you will pay for offloading and Scaling  the goods that you bought if you are venturing into the business for the first time.

3.     Discount: there are companies that charge 1% to 10% of the amount supply  as tax , again most of them won’t tell you except you have an insider that gives you the hints before time.

4.     History of the Company: it is important that you also do background check on the company that you are supplying, how do the treat their suppliers ? what other relevant information do you need? These will help in determining if it is worth your time and investment.        

Part B of this article will on the Mathematics of supply

From Maggots to Millions – How AgriProtein, A South African Business, is Making Amazing Products from Maggots

From Maggots to Millions – How AgriProtein, A South African Business, is Making Amazing Products from Maggots

Written by  smallstarter InspireMe! Saturday, 18 October 2014 16:54

 

  Photo credit: ebaumsworld.com

In South Africa, one young business is doing the unthinkable. AgriProtein is breeding billions of flies on a farm to mate, lay eggs and produce maggots. Yes, maggots, those horrible looking creatures that are likely to make you want to vomit. These maggots are fed on organic waste material - producing a nutrient-rich fertilizer in the process - before being harvested and dried into a natural and sustainable animal feed. AgriProtein’s maggot-based animal feed is more than 15 percent cheaper than other alternatives and has been proven to be highly nutritious for livestock, especially chickens (poultry), fish and pigs. The company recently attracted more than $10 million in capital to build more fly farms in South Africa. This article reveals the lucrative aspects of this business and why it’s a multi-million-dollar idea. I’ll also show you how AgriProtein successfully grows its maggots and three key lessons you should learn from the success of this business.

 

Why should anyone be interested in the animal feed business?

Many of you reading this may be wondering why AgriProtein is going through the hassle of raising maggots to target the animal feed market. Do you have any idea how huge the animal feed business really is? Allow me to break it down for you…

Before a piece of beef, chicken or pork ends up on your plate, it was fed on animal feed to produce the meat that now sits on your plate. Animal or ‘livestock’ feed, like human food, is a booming international business.

 

In June 2013, I wrote an interesting article about the huge opportunities in the billion-dollar animal feed business. The growing demand for meat and fish worldwide is driving up the demand for animal feed used by livestock farmers to grow chickens (poultry), fish and pigs. The amount of money spent on animal feed every year is huge because on average, farmers around the world spend between 45 to 75 percent of their total costs on animal feed alone.

The international trade in animal feed has an estimated turnover of nearly $400 billion every year. Despite Africa’s huge demand for animal feed, it produces less than one percent of global animal feed output. The small amounts we produce locally are not enough to satisfy domestic demand. As a result, the African market currently depends heavily on imported feed from the USA, Europe, South America and Asia (especially China).

AgriProtein wants to shake up the international animal feed business by producing a cheaper and more valuable product that will help farmers around to world to make extra profits by reducing some of their feed costs. This is definitely a product that will interest farmers around the world who have been suffering the burden of rising animal feed prices for many years. If AgriProtein can pull this off in the $400-billion animal feed market, the company could easily be worth millions of dollars in just a few years.

Why maggots?

I know what you’re thinking and I totally agree with you; maggots are very disgusting and the sight of them could easily make me vomit. But to a chicken or fish, for example, maggots are a juicy treat. Apart from its good taste, maggots are very nutritious and rich in proteins, a vital element in every animal feed. Proteins are important because they are a critical component in developing muscles in these animals which eventually become the meat that we humans eat.

Interestingly, maggots are hardly, if ever, used in animal feeds that are used by livestock farmers around the world. For decades, proteins in animal feed have come from two main sources: Soybeans and Fishmeal. I’ll use the next paragraphs to take a quick look at these two protein sources and how important they are to the global animal feed industry.

Soybean is the major source of plant protein for animals. About 85 percent of the world’s soybean crop is processed into meal that is used in animal feed.  Only about two percent of the soybean meal is further processed into soy flours and proteins for human food use. The problem with soybean is that cultivating the crop requires a lot of land and water, and the intensive monoculture involved is creating adverse environmental impacts on our planet.

Worse still, as you will notice in the chart below, the price of soybean has risen sharply over the last decade. This means that farmers have been paying a lot more to buy animal feed that contains sufficient protein (soybean) to grow their livestock to market size.

In recent years (2002 – 2014), the price of soybean has skyrocketed beyond all levels in history. (source: crops.missouri.edu)

Fishmeal is the major source of animal-based protein for livestock. More than 20 percent of fish caught in the seas and oceans are crushed and processed into fish meal which is added as a protein provider in animal feeds. This fishmeal is fed to pigs, cattle, poultry and farmed fish. Fishmeal has remained a popular ingredient in animal feed because of its high protein content (it actually contains more protein than soybean). image credit: tradeindia.com

The problem with fishmeal is that natural fish stocks in the oceans are reducing drastically across the world. Due to overfishing and the negative effects of climate change, using our fish stocks as a source of raw materials for the animal feed industry is no longer sustainable under the current conditions. If we continue to harvest fish from the seas and oceans at the current rate, we could run out of fish in less than 30 years. Evidence of this scarcity is already showing in the price of fishmeal on the international market. From 1999, the price of fishmeal rose from less than $500 per metric ton to over $2,000 in 2012. That’s a 500+% growth!

The steady rise of fishmeal from 1999 to 2014 has led to high animal feed costs for livestock farmers across the world (source: UndercurrentNews)

Maggots, unlike Soybean and Fishmeal, are very new to the scene as a suitable source of protein for animals. They are very rich in proteins and contain a wide range of amino acids and minerals that provide the necessary nutrition for livestock growth. The best part is, producing insect-based protein (maggots) doesn’t come with the adverse environmental consequences of producing animal protein (fishmeal) and plant protein (soybean) which require more land, water and energy resources.

Unlike the prices of soybean and fishmeal which are currently going through the roof, maggots are abundant and readily available. As long as you have organic waste, maggots can literally be ‘farmed’ in your backyard. This outcome will help farmers to save costs on animal feed while providing their pigs, poultry and fish with high-value protein. (image credit: theblaze.com)

The Amazing Unique Selling Propostion for Maggots

For any new product to succeed in any market, especially an established one like the animal feed industry, it needs to have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that makes it different and preferable to other products already on the market. Interestingly, Agriprotein believes that it has a strong USP that will revolutionise the international animal feed business.

According to AgriProtein’s infographic below, for each ton of fishmeal or soybean replaced by its maggot-based products, an environmental saving of between $2,550 and $3,250 per ton is achieved in the form of avoided fossil fuel consumption , land use and carbon emissions.

 

The Smart Guide to Maggot Farming – The AgriProtein Way

AgriProtein’s facility in Cape Town (South Africa) is the world’s largest fly farm and houses roughly 8.5 billion flies that produce more than 20,000 kilograms of maggots every day. To feed the army of maggots it produces, the farm collects over 100 tons of organic waste every day. This includes leftover and uneaten food from restaurants and hotels, blood and waste from abattoirs and animal manure.

Within the farm, the flies are kept in over 300 cages that are designed to maximise mating. Within these cages, the temperature, humidity and lighting are closely controlled to encourage the flies to mate and lay eggs. A single fly can lay up to 400 eggs in a single day. Every day, the eggs are gathered from the cages and hatched in a separate place. Image credit: eadt.co.uk

As the maggots grow, they feed on the organic waste and convert it into protein. In fact, their growth rate is astounding; maggots increase in size nearly 5,000 times in the span of just a few weeks. Their fast growth and efficient conversion of waste to protein is the biggest miracle in the entire process. These maggots recycle smelly organic waste (like blood and animal manure) into odourless humus that can be used as fertilizer to replenish farmlands.

After feeding on and digesting waste for a couple of weeks, the maggots reach the optimum size for harvest and are separated from the residue. Afterwards, they are washed, dried and crushed to extract oil, which is very rich in fatty acids. The rest is milled into a flaked product that is packaged and sold to animal feed mills.

At the end of the process, these are the four main products that emerge as AgroProtein’s market brands:

MagMeal™
This is the core product consisting of dried and defatted maggots that are ground into a high protein meal. It has a dark rich texture with a slightly nutty flavour. MagMeal can be blended into a variety of animal feeds and used just like any other protein such as fishmeal, its nearest nutritional equivalent. It is specifically useful for the feeding of monogastric animals including chickens, pigs and fish.

MagOil™
This is the purified fat removed from the maggots and has a high palatability for animals. It has a light golden brown colour with a medium viscosity at room temperature. MagOil™ can be blended into a variety of animal feeds as any other animal or vegetable fat or oil.

MagSoil™
This is the residue that is left after the maggots have recycled the nutrients in the organic waste. It is a fine and homogenous soil enhancer that is high in bio‐available nitrogen, minerals and nutrients. Farmers use MagSoil™ as an organic fertiliser to improve their soils.

Whole Dried Larvae™
This is simply de-hydrated maggots that are supplied in bulk to the pet food industry and small organic farmers. It can be fed to insect-eating reptiles and birds. It can also be used as a protein and energy source in formulated diets for monogastric animals like chickens, pigs and fish.

What’s next for AgriProtein?

AgriProtein’s products have been approved for sale in South Africa and the company expects to secure distribution licenses in the European Union within the next two years. Product approval is being considered on a state-by-state basis in the U.S. and Canada, with Ohio already having granted permission for them to be sold.

In terms of funding and expansion, the company has received more than $10 million to build more fly farms in South Africa. It intends to build another 38 fly farms across the world and has had expressions of interest from over 40 countries. In fact, the German government has offered AgriProtein one million Euros to set up a plant in Germany. In the long run, the company plans to license its proven technology for industrial-scale maggot production to similar farms across the world.

Here’s a short documentary featuring David Drew, Co-founder of AgriProtein as he runs through the science of the business and its considerable social and environmental impact. It’s very interesting and you’ll learn quite a lot from it.

3 Key Lessons to learn from the success of AgriProtein

We love to share success stories on Smallstarter but what’s most important for you, the reader, is to learn and apply the key lessons that led to success in all the stories. We have identified three key lessons from AgriProtein’s journey to success and we hope you learn something from them. Here they are:

1. Always think long term

Many entrepreneurs rarely take the time to digest and polish a business idea to make viable for the long term. David Drew and his partners at AgriProtein first had the idea for maggot-based animal feed in 2004. However, to solidify their business idea, they knew it had to be backed up by sufficient scientific and business evidence to make it investible.

To achieve this, they partnered with the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and sponsored Masters and PhD level students to provide cutting edge research in the innovative field of nutrient recycling and animal nutrition under the guidance of the University.

After five years of parallel academic and manufacturing research, AgriProtein was finally ready to launch its business plan on an industrial and commercial scale. Today, its long term thinking has paid off and the company is on track to great and astounding success.

2. Work with the right partners

Working with the right partners can bring a lot of value to a new business. The right partners can provide access to capital, customers, promotion and even important market data. AgriProtein’s partnership with the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa helped to provide the critical research, analysis and credibility that has helped the company.

AgriProtein also enjoys a strategic partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and has received financial assistance from the Foundation to support its work.

3.  Green business ideas can be profitable too

The threat of climate change and its adverse effects on the environment has made green business ideas very attractive to investors, governments, NGOs and even consumers. Any business idea that promotes recycling of waste, protecting the environment or harnessing natural and renewable energy sources has a high likelihood of success in today’s world.

Rabbit Farming – 3 Amazing Success Stories And Everything You Need To Know About This Lucrative Business

Written by  smallstarter ThinkTank Sunday, 09 November 2014 13:49

 

  Photo credit: Kenya Rabbit Network

Rabbit meat may not be as common as chicken, beef or pork but there’s no doubt it’s a very lucrative business. Every year, over one million tons of rabbit meat is consumed worldwide. The world’s four biggest producers and consumers of rabbit meat are: China, Italy, Spain and France. In Africa, the consumption of rabbit meat is gradually taking off and a few farmers on the continent are already enjoying the benefits of this niche business.

In this article, I’ll share the success stories of three farmers in Ghana and Kenya who have achieved remarkable success with their rabbit farms. For those of you reading this who don’t know, rabbit meat contains the highest amounts of digestible proteins and the lowest cholesterol and fat of all types of meat. Rabbits are also easy to raise; they’re clean and require little capital, labour, time and space to manage. This article will open your eyes to the amazing benefits of the rabbit business and offers some valuable and free resources you can use to get started. I had fun doing the research for this article. I hope you have fun reading it!

Three successful African Rabbit Farmers you need to know

Africa already boasts of a few rabbit farmers who started from nothing but have built remarkably successful rabbit farm businesses. Their success in spite of capital and skill challenges will inspire and encourage you to take action on your business ideas. Let’s meet them!

Farmer Brown (Ghana)

Adotei Brown (popularly known as ‘Farmer Brown’) quit his Civil Service job in 2002 to start his rabbit farm on a small scale with three does (female rabbits) and one buck (male). With just about 10 Ghanaian Cedis (about $3), he reinvested all his profits into the business. Today, his farm grows nearly 3,000 rabbits every year and slaughters up to 500 every week for sale to grocery stores, restaurants and hotels. The average price for his rabbits is about 20 Ghana Cedis (about $6) and business is booming.

 

Farmer Brown has become a popular advocate for the consumption of rabbit meat in Ghana. He has a special eatery for rabbit meat on his farm, which attracts visitors, including tourists. His eatery serves tasty rabbit meat in different forms:  grilled, smoked and cooked. He also has a thriving grasscutter (bush meat) farming business that runs side-by-side with the rabbit farm.

Farmer Brown has dedicated himself to training more young people in Ghana to take up rabbit farming. To assure a steady market for the young generation of farmers he trains, he buys mature rabbits from them to ensure they have a steady cash flow from the business.

Moses Mutua, CEO Rabbit Republic (Kenya)

Popularly known as ‘Mr. Rabbit’ in Kenya, Moses Mutua grew up in a poor family and couldn’t further his education because his family couldn’t afford to pay for it. Although he always wanted to become a policeman, he never reached that dream. Instead he got a job as a security guard and worked at it for five years before he got fired.

Before he became Mr. Rabbit, Moses had already tried greenhouse farming, fish farming, organic farming, but settled on rabbits because they are the most lucrative domesticated animals in the world in terms of time, space utilisation and profit margins. Moses learned everything about rabbit farming from the internet (by using Google) and finally started a small rabbit farm with just six rabbits. That’s how his company, Rabbit Republic, was born.  (photo credit: nafis.go.ke)

Today, Rabbit Republic has a turnover that’s more than Sh10 million (about $100,000) and slaughters about 2,000 rabbits every month. His business has attracted investors and Moses is currently developing a five-acre farm that will breed about 30,000 rabbits. The video below shows Mr. Rabbit in action on his farm as he explains the profitability of the rabbit farming business and why more entrepreneurs should seriously consider it.

Rabbit Republic now has a network of over 1,000 rabbit farmers across Kenya who receive free training and support and in turn sell their mature rabbits to the company. This expansion has paid off as Rabbit Republic has now opened shop in neighbouring countries; Uganda and Tanzania. But that’s not all. By mid-2015, the company plans to export one ton of rabbit sausages to the US and Europe where the demand for healthy meats (like rabbits) is growing.  

Mr. Rabbit wants to make Kenya a major player in the untapped global rabbit meat market. Currently, China, Italy, Spain and France are the leading producers of rabbit meat which has earned a reputation as a ‘super meat’ due to its nutritional and health benefits.

Rabbit Republic is now partnering with universities and local/international organisations to train more youths and women on rabbit farming as a means to alleviate poverty.

Charles Kamau (Kenya)

Charles started a small rabbit farm in 2004 to provide organic fertilizer for his vegetable farm. He lost his job in the hospitality industry and had to do something to feed his young family. His first attempt at raising rabbits was a disaster because he lost all his animals to diseases. Despite his frustration, he did some basic research, learned from his mistakes and started again. This time, it was a huge success and he even had to demolish part of his house to create more space for his thriving rabbit business.

Charles holding up a Flemish Giant, one of the largest rabbit breeds in the world. (Photo credit: Kenya Rabbit Network)

Charles Kamau stocks a wide range of rabbit breeds which he sells to new farmers and also slaughters rabbits which we supplies to local meat markets. His top customers include foreign nationals living in Kenya, restaurants and five-star hotels. In fact, he once got an order from China to supply a consignment of 22,000 pieces of rabbit fur but was unable to meet that huge request. This just shows how big the demand for rabbit products is.

Charles says he is now able to save more than Sh20,000 (about $220) every month from his rabbit business. The business also provides money to feed his family and pay school fees for his children who attend private schools. A few years ago, he was able to buy some plots of land in Nairobi (Kenya’s capital city) and recently bought a car and a 12-acre property where he is planning to establish a much larger rabbit farm.

3 Reasons why you should seriously consider rabbit farming

The success stories of these rabbit farmers prove the huge and largely untapped potential of the rabbit farming business in Africa. In this section, I’ll reveal three major reasons why you should seriously consider the rabbit farming business opportunity. Here they are:

#1    There is a huge market opportunity for rabbits

The growing rate of heart disease and related ailments has increased awareness of the harmful effects of cholesterol in our diets. More people are now going for ‘white’ meat which contains low amounts of cholesterol. Unlike ‘red meats’ (especially beef and pork), white meats like ostrich, poultry, fish and rabbit meat contain less fats and cholesterols and have higher health benefits. (photo credit: thesaucysoutherner.com)

Apart from fish, rabbit meat has the highest amount of protein and contains the lowest fat than all other types of meat. It contains less calories and Sodium than other meats but contains more calcium and phosphorus (which is very good). As a result of these properties, rabbit meat has become the ‘super meat’ for people looking to eat healthy meats and live a healthier lifestyle. Rabbit meat is also very widely accepted. Unlike snails and pork, there are hardly any religious or cultural taboos about consuming rabbit meat.

More than 700 million rabbits are slaughtered worldwide every year, producing about 1 million metric tons of rabbit meat. The world's leader in rabbit meat production is China, representing over 30% of total global production. Rabbit meat is popular in countries such as Italy, Spain, France and China. These countries consume the most rabbit per person (about 8kg per person) and are the best export markets for rabbit meat.

Rabbits produce high quality skins that are used to make fur garments (like clothing, hats and boots), and to cover bicycle seats, etc. Another significant use of rabbits is in cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical research laboratories. Rabbits are also purchased by people who want to keep them as pets.

#2   Rabbit farming is lucrative because rabbits multiply very fast

A single doe (female rabbit) can give birth to (litter) up to 40 kits (baby rabbits) in a single year. This means you can start with two mature breeding rabbits (one male, one female) and end up with over 40 rabbits in less than 12 months. That’s because rabbits can breed throughout the year and it takes just about a month (30-33 days) for a pregnant doe to produce baby rabbits.

Photo credit: pocketpause.com

After they are born, rabbits grow very fast and can reach maturity and market size in less than 6 months. One of the reasons for this fast growth rate is that rabbits are efficient converters of the food they eat. Compared to other livestock animals (poultry, cattle, pigs etc), rabbits convert up to 20 percent of the proteins they eat into body weight. That’s higher than any other animal!

A mature rabbit ready for market can sell for up to $22 (depending on the location and customer). However, the cost of raising a rabbit comes to about $1 per month. According to Moses Mutua (CEO of Rabbit Republic), the resources and cost incurred on raising one cow is equivalent to what you’d use to raise 40 rabbits. As a result, rabbits offer a higher profit potential than cattle and other livestock.

And because rabbits mature quickly and multiply very fast, they offer one of the best opportunities to quickly recover your costs and investment in a short period of time.

#3  Easy to start, cheap to operate and maintain

Rabbits don’t need any elaborate preparation or huge capital to start up. You can start with two rabbits (male and female) using a basic cage made of wood and chicken wire. Unlike chickens, cattle and pigs, rabbits are not noisy animals. They are very clean animals and don’t easily get attacked by diseases. Above all, rabbits don’t require a lot of space like other livestock; it’s the ideal animal to raise in your backyard or any place with little space. (photo credit: backyard-rabbits.com)

Raising rabbits is not labour-intensive like cattle and poultry. Rabbits are easy to feed and often don’t need a lot of attention. As a result, a rabbit farming business can be run on a part time basis. Some kitchen waste, grass, plant leaves etc. are favorite foods of rabbits. In fact, a single rabbit needs just about 120 grams of food daily. You can feed it in the morning before you go to work and then in the evening when you return.

So, in terms of capital, time, space and labour needs, rabbit farming beats poultry, pig farming, and cattle farming.

Ready to start your own rabbit farm? Here are two important tips.

If you’re excited about everything you’ve read so far in this article and can’t wait to join the small but fast growing league of ‘rabbit entrepreneurs in Africa, here are two very important things you need to do to get started:

#1   Learn the nuts and bolts of rabbit farming

I don’t believe you must pay someone to teach you how to raise rabbits. People like Moses Mutua (Rabbit Republic) learned everything about rabbit farming on the internet. There are lots of free manuals and videos online that will help you. I have done some homework for you and found two of the best manuals on the internet that you can use to learn everything you need to know about rabbit farming. Here they are:

• Rabbits, A Producer’s Manual – This 61-page manual is the most comprehensive book on rabbit farming you will ever find. It contains everything you need to know about rabbits including breeding, slaughter and packaging. I strongly recommend it.

• Raising Rabbits for Meat – This is another great resource for learning everything about rabbit farming. It’s written in very simple language which makes it easy to understand. It covers a lot of topics including how to build rabbit hutches and the common diseases that affect rabbits. You’ll surely enjoy reading it.

#2   Find good breeder stock to get started

Breeder stock are the first rabbits a new farmer starts her rabbit business with. Like I mentioned earlier, the minimum stock you need to get started is one male (buck) and one female rabbit (doe). If you want, you can start with more does; one buck can service up to five does. Ask around for local farmers who can sell you a good breeder stock. Ask for evidence that proves the gender of the rabbits you buy so you don’t end up with all males or females.

Keep in mind that there are several breeds of rabbit. However, some breeds are better suited for commercial farming than others. Commercial breeds grow into large sizes and produce faster. Show rabbit breeds, which are often smaller than commercial breeds, are popularly used as pets or raised for their fur and may not be suited for commercial meat production.

The best places to find rabbit farmers are your local livestock markets, Agriculture ministry or department or through local farmers’ associations.

When do you want to get started?

This article has shown you how three rabbit farmers in different parts of Africa achieved remarkable success in the rabbit farming business. We also looked at three reasons why more African entrepreneurs should consider joining the rabbit farming business. And finally, we shared some valuable resources that would help you get started as soon as possible. (photo credit: nourishnetwork.com)

MAKING MILLIONS FROM SESAME SEED VALUE CHAIN

How do you become a player in sesame seed business without having millions in your account? Is it even possible? Ofcourse it is very possible to start from nothing and grow into millions even billions in the sesame seed value chain business. These are the four most vital requirements that are needed to be a player in this business.

1.   Passion

2.   Working knowledge

3.   Phone

4.   Bank account   

It is passion that first of all drive you  in this business you need to be passionate to learn about the business. The working knowledge in this business depends on which level you want to enter the business. You can’t do this business without communication, so you phone connects the bridge between your suppliers, the farmers, and other stakeholders in the business. The bank account is for your transactions and to keep your millions.  

Sesame seed is the second most sought after cash crop in Nigeria after cocoa, Nigeria is the second largest producer of sesame seed in Africa, and ranking seventh in the World. Other African countries also producer sesame seeds are Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Niger, mail, Kenya and  Burkina Faso. 

                

Sesame seed is highly valued for its oil which has a  very low level of cholesterol. The oil is used in production and as a preservative in canned  sardine, margarine,   corned beef and  soap. It is also used  in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Sesame seed comes in four colour  namely  clear white,  brown, gold and black.

Ninety percentage of sesame seed produced in Nigeria is exported out to different countries. However we could add more value to sesame seed apart from cleaning and exporting if as an investor extract oil from seed which sells more in the international market and the chaff used for animal feeds or as a raw material for another industrial used.

Sesame seed is produced in Benue, Taraba, Kebbi, Kano, Bauchi, Kogi, Plateau, Adamawa, Kwara, Cross-River, Ebonyi, Niger, Gombe, Katsina, Yobe, Bomo and Nassarawa States.

To make money from the sesame seed you could decide to source for the product from  any state that farms it. It means that you could decide to talk to the farmers to gather their stock for you and you pay once you see their stocks.

Secondly you could also decide to visit the cleaning mill and arrange for a buyer from there and you  get commission. For example if you get over to the milling and sesame is selling for N260,000 a ton if  sell to your suppliers for N265,000 a ton you will make a N150,000 in one trailer load of 30tons, so if you can load 10 trailers in one month that is N1,500,000 in a month.

If you have the resources or you can leverage on relationship you can supply to your buyers directly in lagos and  you make over N10,000 to N20,000 per ton thereby  making N300,000 to N600,000 per trailer.

Since the world is a global village you could connect with international buyer around the world through the internet and export directly without going to sell in lagos.

This might be your blue print to success

for more details call 07034706326 or email iniobong4solution@gmail.com