Cat Fish Farming & Smoking(Processing) Seminar

Fish farming like other business has its pros and cons. And truthfully it is a very lucrative and yet a money draining business.

I have read articles about how lucrative the business is and how to invest and reap millions. All I do is just to laugh on reading such article. All they want is just for u to buy their manual and make money. Surprisingly most of them don’t have a farm of their own, they are computer farmers who don’t have any experience whatsoever in the business..

Catfish fish farming is very profitable but highly sensitive; therefore so much caution must be taken to avoid making mistakes that can cost so much loss. Just as there are numerous benefits, there are also problems involved which results from inadequate enlightenment and proper caution.

Losses resulting from mistakes and poor management are usually more fatal in catfish farms than in other case.

Some of the key areas where new fish farmers must be well grounded and informed to avoid loses include;

• Fingerlings for stocking. This is one aspect for the failure of fish farmers. Most hatcheries select the best (shooters) for themselves and sell runts to farmers.

• Pond Construction.

• Pond disinfection.

• Stocking Techniques.

• Avoiding overstocking of your pond.

• Control of environmental hazards

• Feeding your Fish rightly.

• Feed selection and formulation.

• Avoiding water contamination and pollution.

• Marketing (Most farmers rely on same conventional marketing techniques)

• Livestock Insurance

Greenhouse Farming; The way to go

Greenhouse farming technology is an innovation that is gradually making its way into the Nigerian agricultural sector.

It is farming under a confined controlled environment as against the traditional open field farming. The structure can be made of glass or polythene covers depending on availability and cost of materials. These structure ranges in size.

Greenhouse is essentially a controlled environment limiting the devastating effects of insect pests and diseases that ravage vegetables including tomatoes. It is not rain-fed but brain-fed, as it comes complete with a customized drip irrigation system. With little amount of land space and water, you are sure to get a yield far higher than your traditional open field production.

With greenhouse farming a farmer can have prolonged production period, efficient water utilization, low cost of labour (that is spraying, weeding and watering) High quality of crop produce, timely crop production, and less exposure to chemical toxin.

To go into greenhouse farming one must have basic knowledge on the certain areas in order to yield profit and to avoid loss.

Here are some of the things you should know.

• Site selection

• Type of crops that can be grown in a green house

• Type of greenhouse structure and which is suitable for you

• Proper building materials

• Irrigation process

• Crops management under Greenhouse conditions

• Greenhouse maintenance

• Appropriate production facilities

• Fertigation

• Crop spacing

• Temperature regulation and environmental control.

Locally replicated greenhouse technology has been proven to provide a low cost alternative to the imported greenhouse structures marketed by companies in Nigeria.

7 Agro Commodities With Sure High Returns (ROI)

Agric commodities trading and investment is an agribusiness enterprise that has come to stay in Nigeria.

As the dry season is gradually setting in, below are some of the Agro commodities that would sure yield optimum profit for any investor and start ups who venture into trading the commodities with the requisite knowledge, experience and capital.

  

1. Raw Cashew Nuts.
 
Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) is a money spinner. You can invest in Raw Cashew nuts for either local trade or export depending on your capital. Also Raw Cashew Nuts can be processed into the highly sought for Cashew kernels with high domestic and international demand.


2. Palm Oil

With the high demand of the commodity in Nigeria Palm Oil is a sure money spinner for any agro commodities investor. Potential investors should enter the palm oil business during the dry season, when prices are relatively cheaper and supply abundant.


3. Palm Kernel

 Palm Kernel is a by product of the Oil Palm, specifically the palm fruit. It is highly sought after commodity due to its widely used Palm Kernel Oil (PKO), which is in high demand by industries and manufacturing sector.


4.Palm Kernel Oil (PKO)

I call it “the new oil”. It is gotten from the Palm Kernel. Also a money spinner for knowledgeable and well informed investors and start ups.


5. GINGER

The Nigerian ginger is highly sought for. The demand for ginger in Nigeria outweighs its production. It is a seasonal Agro commodity that has a wide range of domestic and commercial value and uses.

You can trade your ginger locally and it is also highly sought for in the international market, hence its export value. Most importantly you can go ahead to add value in the raw ginger by processing into other ginger products.


6. GARLIC

Like Ginger, garlic is another very profitable agro commodity found in Nigeria. It has local as well as export trade value.

The Nigerian Garlic is among the best in the world. Investors can also position themselves to profit in this highly untapped agro commodity market.

7. SOYA BEANS.

 Nigeria’s current demand for Soybean outweighs its current production.

It is highly sought for in the animal feed industry and also of high demand in the local market for its high nutritional benefit and domestic use.

Others include cocoa seeds, sesame seed, shea butter, hibiscus etc.

However, with these commodities, every new and prospective investor must be well informed in the area of sourcing, measurement, pricing, quality determination, storage, local trading tips and avoiding the usual market antics of merchants.

Also knowing how to make more through storage, processing and packaging of these commodities is important for optimum profit.

The good news about Agro commodities investment is that you can fully engage in this business and keep your full time work,

Investment Opportunities in Shea nut

Nigeria is the leading producer of Shea nut and butter in the world. However due to issues around quality, the nation is yet to fully tap into the benefit of the expanding market for Shea nut and butter.

The oil content is the most crucial element of the shea nut as that component is an important ingredient in the composition of the shea butter that goes into Cocoa Butter Equivalents and other by-products.

SOURCING

 
Shea nut and shea products are mainly produced in Kwara, Katsina, Plateau, Kogi, Oyo, Benue, Edo, Zamfara, Taraba, Borno, Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Adamawa states.

PRODUCTION STATISTICS

 
Estimated National Production is 500,000 MT annually, about 3% of the national production is exported.

USES

 
Shea butter is mainly used as cooking oil, in the making of chocolate and candle and as moisturizers in the cosmetic industry.

It is used in the treatment of skin disorders like eczema, burns, rashes, stretch marks, acne, wrinkles, skin discolorations, itching and other skin problems.

It also provides natural protection from the sun’s UV rays. It is also an excellent agent for softening skin. It can also be used to maintain hair moisturization especially in dry hair.

PRICING

 
In the international market, the price per ton for Shea butter packed in 20 pound dark plastic sacks or 50 kilo dark plastic containers or coated steel drums ranges from $1,800 to 2,800/MT depending on the quality, while the local market price per tonne ranges from N180,000 to N250,000

The price of Shea nuts and butter follows the movement in the price of cocoa beans and butter.

EXPORT MARKET

 
Major destinations for Nigeria’s Sheanut and Butter are the Europe, United States and Japan.

EXPORT SEASON

 
The export season for Shea nut commences by June and ends in October.

HARVESTING PERIOD

 
The harvesting period for Shea Nuts in Nigeria, runs from July till about November. The fruits are allowed to ripen on the tree and then drop to the ground.

STORAGE

 
Nut that has been well dried can store well for up to 5 years without spoiling. Storage should aim at maintaining the quality through the storage period as well as eliminating pests that could destroy the nuts. Ware house at the appropriate location are needed.

PROCESSING

 
Shea Butter is produced by steaming the Shea fruit for the kernel inside to shrink away from the shell to prevent the kernel from damaging. After the shells are cracked and the kernels are extracted. They are placed in the sun to dry for a prolonged period in order for the shea nuts to maintain a long shelf life of 5 years. After drying, the best nuts will be sorted out to for crushing and left till the next day. Thereafter, other processes like Roasting of Crushed Shea Kernels, Milling, Kneading, Boiling, Filtration and Solidification, Packaging and Storage will commence.

MARKETING

 
Main buyers of Sheanut and Sheabutter are chocolate manufacturers, Cosmetic Industries, Pharmaceutical Industries as well as households.

INVESTMENT SUMMARY

 
Production
Processing
Export
Storage
Marketing

Broiler Chicken Iyalaje Farms Ifewara Nigeria

Govt to Ban Tomato Paste Imports

The Federal Government will soon ban importation of foreign tomato pastes into the country, the minister of agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said.

Ogbeh said based on a report by the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control (NAFDAC), foreign tomato pastes imported into Nigeria are not good.

He spoke during the oversight visit of the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, chaired by Rep Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno) to the ministry yesterday in Abuja.

“The Chinese are the ones messing us up on tomato paste. Each time Dangote tries to produce, they lower their prices. There’s a report by NAFDAC on the quality of foreign tomato pastes. The report is very bad.

“We think we have every reason in that report to ban foreign tomato pastes into the country. If you don’t ban it on health ground, you have to ban it on any other ground,” he said.

When members of the committee demanded to know the measures government was taking to avert food crisis next year in view of the influx of foreigners buying Nigerian grains, the minister said “It’s time to fill our silos.

“The export is huge now, but if you stop it, farmers will get very angry. When you go round, they tell you they get so rich now. But if you stop it and the prices fall, you discourage farmers. We’re in the market now buying and storing.”

News BoI disburses N5bn to SMES in Agro-processing sector

The Bank of Industry on Wednesday put the funding support to about 242 entrepreneurs in the North-Central region at N5bn.

It said out of this amount, N1.5bn was disbursed to 62 SMEs in the agro-processing sector in the 2016 fiscal period alone.

The Managing Director, BOI, Mr. Waheed Olagunju, gave the figure while speaking on the sidelines of the BoI’s North-Central Regional Customer Forum in Abuja.

The forum, which was organised by the bank to interface with its customers in the region, had as its theme:”Nigeria’s industrialisation — our collective responsibility.”

Represented by the Divisional Head, SME-North, Mr. Omar Shekarau, the BoI MD said the substantial part of the N1.5bn loan was disbursed to the SMEs in the agro-processing sub-sector.

He said, “So far, the BoI has disbursed over N5bn to our customers in the North-Central region, comprising the Federal Capital Territory, Nassarawa, Kogi, Benue and Niger states.

“In the current year, we have funded small businesses in the region with over N1.5bn. Some of the loans are channelled to agro-processing sub-sector.”

Omar, who commended customers in the region for effective utilisation of the funds in their care, challenged them to point out to the bank areas of improvement.

Also speaking at the forum, the representative of the Country Director, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Mr. Francis Ukoh, stressed the need to develop the capacity of the SMEs operators in the country.

He said while much emphasis had been placed on lack of access to finance, little attention was being placed on capacity of the SMEs to utilise the funds effectively.

He stated that from findings, many small-scale business operators who demanded for loans usually had problems managing such funds because they lacked the needed capacity to effectively utilise them.

Nigerian Undergraduate, making it big in Fish Farming

Nigerian Delicacy: Bush Rat (Grass Cutters - Thryonomys swinderianus)

Market Women’s Association Force Down Prices Of Foodstuff

Prices of foodstuff were forcefully reduced at markets in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday by a taskforce led by the President of the Market Women’s Association, Chief Omowaye Oso.

The team visited the Oja Oba and the Bisi Egbeyemi markets, both in the state capital.

Oso ordered the stoppage of foodstuff sold at exorbitant prices, after which, she personally sold to buyers at lower prices.

Buyers had accused the sellers of deliberately selling at excessive prices on the excuse of the non-appreciation of the American dollar.

Some of the commodities forced to sell at reduced prices included garri, beans, local rice and palm oil.

Consequently, a measure of garri, which used to sell for N200 was reduced to N100.

A 20-liter container of palm oil which sold at N22,000 was reduced to N15,000, while a measure of local rice, which initially sold at N500 was reduced to N400.

Oso said she had henceforth ordered that small measure of okro and locust beans be sold at N20 as against N50.

She said the raid was supported by the state government and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe.

“Both the Ewi of Ado Ekiti and the state government are concerned about the exorbitant prices of goods and services in the town.

“The cost of goods, especially foodstuff, is too high in Ado Ekiti, whereas, as the state capital, prices of goods and services should be the cheapest here.

“The market men and women should have mercy on the poor because things are too expensive here, unlike other towns and villages in Ekiti State.

“It is very unfortunate that market women in other communities don’t want to sell at their places anymore; they now bring their wares to Ado, believing they will sell at twice the price of what they sell in their communities.

“As the Iyaloja, one of my responsibilities is to ensure price control of goods and today’s exercise shall be a continuous one and shall be repeated in all markets in Ado.

“It is unfortunate that 20 liters of palm oil which sells at N14,000 in Ikole is being sold at N22,000 in Ado, but we have sold it at N15,000.

“Ado is now developing a bad reputation for high prices of goods and services, but we will not allow this to continue; the Kabiyesi has said he does not want hardship for the people of Ado.

“We will continue to carry out our raids until our market women comply and anyone who cannot comply, must look elsewhere to sell her wares.

“If you can’t sell your palm oil at lower prices, don’t bring it down to Ado again,” she said.

NAN reports that buyers at the market and other residents commended the market raid, describing it as a respite to the poor and hungry people.