A VISIT TO THE OKE- ARO PIG FARM.

 The scourge of African swine fever is trailed with emotional torture and financial losses. The effect of the  virus was more profound with the Covid-19 impact on the economy. The losses recorded on the farm is so high that most of the pens are empty and some farmers have diversified, looking into other agricultural ventures.

   The farm has been decontaminated severally in preparation for restocking of the pens. The biosecurity protocols have also been improved to ensure safety of the animals and the farmers. Training's  demonstrations for the farmers on biosecurity and animal health issues were conducted to keep farmers abreast of new standards in the industry.

   Farmers are encouraged to adopt stringent biosecurity protocols to ensure sustainability and profitability of the venture .

 How to make money from pig farm.

   

AGRIBUSINESS: FARMERS SHARE TOP LESSONS FOR PROFITABLE BUSINESS.

AGRIBUSINESS: FARMERS SHARE TOP LESSONS FOR PROFITABLE BUSINESS.Many people think farming is the easiest way to make money, away from a demanding office job. The reality couldn’t be farther from the truth. Farming is actually a school where farmers pick important lessons, some learnt the hard way. All through the year, we spoke to farmers who stood out in different ways. They are people who have excelled in poultry-keeping, livestock-farming, horticulture and even those who have found the trick of value addition on different products. They share the successes, failures, challenges learnt through 2018. Joseph Boit, maize and dairy farmer — Focus on a small unit and perfect it Joseph Boit, who won the BAKE Kenyan Blog award 2015 in Environment and Agriculture category. He tried horticulture on five acres of land but the huge farm was beyond what he could control. At harvest time, we went home empty handed. For years, Boit has perfected the art of maize-farming, a venture that has been passed on in his family for generations. Not long ago, Boit tried a hand in hay farming and allocated 100 acres for the same, reserving only 10 acres for maize. But Boit is always trying new things and last year, he ventured into horticulture. He set aside 5 acres for kales, onions and watermelons and trusted that rain water would supplement a water pan that was adjacent to the farm. But he was in for a rude shock when it failed to rain for a long time and the water pan dried. “I was unable to water the whole five acres and the onions failed to bulb. It was a total loss,” he says. When it finally rained, it was torrents that destroyed the whole crop of watermelons he had on 4 acres. The kales were in bad shape too and could not fetch much on the market. The loss taught him important lesson. “I should have focused on one acre and perfected it. I now understand why most horticulture farmers only do it on small plots that are easy to manage. I have learnt that horticulture is the most rewarding venture which also requires a lot of resources and dedication. It is not like maize farming. It needs proper planning and ensuring that everything is right.” Boit has not given up on horticulture. In fact, he has better plans for next year. “I am planting capsicum and cabbages on one acre next year. I have invested in a 3,000-litre tank near the farm as well as better irrigation system. I have fenced the whole farm because I also have many goats that may be a nuisance to my crops. I also have my market sorted since I have a motorbike and I will do deliveries on my own. I am not trusting middlemen and I will set my own prices. If all goes well, I am looking at Sh500, 000 profit just from horticulture by the end of next year.” continue

CASSAVA MORE PROFITABLE THAN CORN.

CASSAVA MORE PROFITABLE THAN CORN. Cyril Cattiling, who owns a six-hectare cassava farm, smiles when discussing how he produces cassava. One secret he agreed to share is how he gives his crop TLC (tender loving care). He believes that with TLC, he and his fellow farmers in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao can have a bountiful cassava harvest. A proud father and husband, Cattiling is a hands-on cassava grower. He is also the president of the Ifugao Tapioca Growers Association (ITGA) and farm manager of the Yao Jia Xi Corporation, which supplies cassava granules to the San Miguel Corporation (SMC). The ITGA started in 2015 to organize all cassava growers in the municipality. It is composed of 75 members. Meanwhile Yao Jia Xi, a farming corporation, gives planting materials to and shares technology with farmers who are members of ITGA. The ITGA sells dried and granulated cassava to the Yao Jia Xi Corporation which then sells the same to SMC, a consistent buyer. Using a solar dryer and granulator for their cassava, the ITGA produces 250 to 300 bags of granulated cassava, which SMC buys for ₱9.70 per kilo Farming has always been Cattiling’s main source of income. He started cassava production in 2012, shifting to it from corn farming. Just like him, his fellow Ifugao farmers were once corn growers. But because of the high production cost of corn, some of them diversified to cassava production. Cassava has better economic benefits. “Cassava [production] offers a better income compared to corn,” said Cattiling, noting that this is true even though cassava is harvested just once a year. One hectare of corn earns him ₱25,000 while cassava gives him ₱130,000 per hectare from a capital of ₱30,000. With good land preparation and available markets, cassava can be profitable Related post: opportunities in garri value chain. Cassava value chain. Agribusiness management with cassava as focus of study.

Money making opportunity in banana fibers and landmine victims in Uganda.

Landmine victims have formed a co-op to create rope from banana fiber.Kasese District, in western Uganda, is especially ripe with the fruit. It is also an area of the country with a difficult history. Many of the workers lost limbs after landmines were planted in this part of Uganda. The explosives were mainly deployed by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces during a 20-year insurgency against President Museveni. That conflict ended in 2005, but the scars of war haven't gone away. Many of these workers turned to this trade after losing their ability to farm the mountainous area they come from. On the fertile farmlands of Uganda's Kasese district, miles and miles of lush banana plantations dot the green landscape. This is one of the biggest banana growing areas in the east-central African country, where most people make a living through subsistence farming. The nutrient-rich fruit is not the only source of income for farmers in the region. After harvesting the crop, locals also extract banana fiber from the trunk of the plant. This can be used for a whole range of products -- from household goods and handicrafts to bags and textiles.The products attract a lot of money as decorators,interior designers e.t.c patronize them. Taking advantage of the abundance of the natural product, a group of landmine victims have formed a co-operative association to make rope out of banana fiber and sell it for a profit. After using water to soften the leaves, the members of the Kasese Landmine Survivors Association split them into small pieces depending on the color and the thickness of the rope they want to make. Once the banana fibers are weaved together, the co-op sells it to various clients in bulk. Read more

AGRIBUSINESS :Making money from banana fibers.

AGRIBUSINESS :Making money from banana fibers. Banana is one of the most important fruit crops in the world.Banana production is a tropical, herbaceous and perennial crop and belongs to the Musaceae family, which produces one huge flower cluster and then dies Bananas are a nutritious bundle,though not many people understand the healthy code that this fruit offers.There are so many reasons to go ballistic on bananas, here are a few. 1) Rich in Potassium. Potassium is a vital nutrient because it helps to regulate blood pressure, this helps to keep the heart functioning correctly.Bones also need potassium as it helps to reduce calcium excretion, which help to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and help to keep bones strong even in old age . 2). High in Fiber. Fiber is a natural digestive aid that helps to keep the digestive tract healthy by ensuring healthy and regular bowel movements. The fiber in bananas also help relieve the symptoms of heartburn. 3). Treatment of stomach ulcers.Bananas may be able to help protect you against stomach ulcers, or help to treat existing ones. This is due to certain compounds in bananas creating a thick protective barrier in the stomach that can help defend against the damaging effects of excess Hydrochloric acid. Bananas also contain protease-inhibitors that can help to eliminate a specific bacteria in the stomach that is found to cause ulcers to develop. 4). Rich in Many Other Nutrients such as Vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium and manganese. see more AGRIBUSINESS :Making money from banana fibers. Banana plant or plantain plant not only gives the delicious fruit but it also provides textile fiber, the banana fiber. Banana fiber is natural fiber. Natural fibers present important advantages such as low density, appropriate stiffness and mechanical properties and high disposability and renewability. Moreover, they are recyclable and biodegradable. There has been lot of research on use of natural fibers in reinforcements. Banana fiber, a ligno-cellulosic fiber, obtained from the pseudo-stem of banana plant (Musa sepientum), is a bast fiber with relatively good mechanical properties Banana fiber has its own physical and chemical characteristics and many other properties that make it a fine quality fiber. Appearance of banana fiber is similar to that of bamboo fiber and ramie fiber, but its fineness and spin-ability is better than the two. The chemical composition of banana fiber is cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The properties are 1) It is highly strong fiber.2)It has smaller elongation. 3) It has somewhat shiny appearance depending upon the extraction & spinning process.4) It is light weight.5) It has strong moisture absorption quality. It absorbs as well as releases moisture very fast.6)it is bio- degradable and has no negative effect on environment and thus can be categorized as eco-friendly fiber.7) Its average fineness is 2400Nm. 8) It can be spun through almost all the methods of spinning including ring spinning, open-end spinning, bast fiber spinning, and semi-worsted spinning among othe The fiber extraction is done with The various uses of banana fibers ; Read more

How to start a profitable egg supply and distribution business.

Starting an egg distribution business,could be a full time or part-time business. Starting an egg business is easy and profitable and you can start today. The first phase is to identify your customers,then find a reputable source,that will provide high quality eggs and at reasonable price. Eggs are of various sizes and grades,and its better to have a mix of large,small and medium to cater for different clients. The ideal place will be to register with a farm, and sort out arrangements about frequency of collection and delivery. Eggs can also be collected at egg depots for further distribution to retailers and consumers. The targeted clients will determine your entry point to the business, you can be a big time player or small to medium player . You don't need a lot of money to start the business, its a low capital startup that you can venture into with 30,000,and expand your capital base as you progress.The key to success is marketing,vecause if you cant network you cant sell. The challenge is not money or the products{eggs} your ability to do great networking. I was amazed to find out that the demand for egg is huge. H Farm owners and bulk distributors, prefer having 30 customers who buys from them regularly than having 3 or 5 major buyers. The logic is with about 30 customers , at least 15 will be available on every sales day,thus creating a steady income. Major egg suppliers comes from outside Lagos. The bulk of eggs consumed in Lagos comes from Ogun, Ondo and Oyo. The farms in Lagos are attached to notable merchants, but smart business people prefer to get their supply outside Lagos because its cheaper. When you factor in cost of fuel, stress and unnecessary roadblocks,sourcing in your locality makes better business sense. Egg crates are important for the success of your business, plastic,paper or decorative seal- able crates are some of the options. The crates could be small or big depending on your egg sizes.While purchasing your egg crates, make arrangements for both the large size and small sizes. If you are transporting it over along distance, the use of big crates are advisable, because with big crates,the eggs will have space and you will experience lesser damages. When delivering eggs to retailers use the small ones,because when you use the big crates for delivery, the eggs look very small but with a small crate, small eggs look big. Starting with egg distribution and supply depends on how big or small you want to start,as you are your own boss you set the pace. You can decide to be a retailer, a wholesaler and you can combine the two. The key to profit is to set a goal,determine how many crates you want to sell in a week and at what level,may be wholesale or retail. 100 crates @850 = 85,000. when sold per crate @900 =90,000 naira. A profit of 5,000 naira. The same 100 crates sold on retail basis yields 1,200 naira/crate which is a total profit of 120,000 naira only. The difference is enormous and potential huge as you get this amount of profit even with wholesales with the right niche.The margin could even be much higher depending on your source. Superstores,shops, schools,eateries are a few of the places you can supply to and make money. Join our league of distributors and make money today. See

Biosecurity threats on the farm.

Bio security threats could be internal or external causes,take a look at the table and learn which threats your farm is vulnerable to and how to be safe. Read more

LAGOS AND THE POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

The poultry industry is well grounded in Nigeria with an estimated worth of over 100 billion Naira. There are a large number of commercial players and also small holder farmers in the sector most of which are located in the south-western part of the country,with close proximity to Lagos state. There is a large market for poultry products in the country as evidenced by the 1.2 million tonnes of products smuggled into the country annually,the recent ban on imported poultry products has opened up more markets for home-grown products. Lagos with a population of about 21 million people with majority in middle and upper class who show preference for poultry products,the state is a ready market for poultry business. The state itself has commercial farmers and small holder farmers in the poultry sector churning out large numbers of chicken and eggs .The state with a vision to be Africa's mega city and global economic financial hub has dedicated zones and areas where poultry farms are domiciled. The state has invested heavily in the poultry sector with poultry estates in Ikorodu,Ojo ,farm settlements in Badagry and a training school in Epe. The state with a policy thrust to eradicate poverty through infrastructural renewal and development recently embarked on an empowerment programme where cages,poultry equipment,eggs and suitable land was allocated to poultry farmers to upscale their level of production . The federal government with the Agricultural transformation agenda to increase crop production and also to create value added food processing industries as a means to reduce food imports and create jobs, has given the state a platform to call for private sector participation in the poultry value chain alongside other 22 agricultural chains. Investments into the poultry industry in the country recently got a boost with a Multi-Net group leading with plans to establish a farm and also the African development bank injecting 34.5 billion naira to boost the agricultural sector. A partnership between the government and a Portuguese company to establish a feed mill in the country is on going.( pls check earlier posts for details of these investments.) Investors in the poultry value chain can look into these areas; 1) Processing plant; many of the smuggled products are processed ,indicating the preference for more processed poultry. A processing plant can process poultry as chicken sausages, canned chicken, processed frozen, stewed or fried. The introduction of new processed products will not only be very profitable but more jobs will be available as more chicken will be in demand. 2) Egg powder plant; investors can look into this area, egg powder is very important in so many industries and establishment of such will also increase egg sales. The state is embarking on a school feeding programme, where eggs will be part of the menu. This programme itself demands more eggs to be produced ,and also the eggplant will compliment this effort to ensure that eggs are always available,by extending the shelf-life. There are seasons where there is egg glut,the egg powder plant will solve this problem and add more economic value to it. 3) Production is another point of investment, we are calling for investors to revamp the industry in terms of more production. This will be traced to the onset of production. There are partnerships with various hatcheries with various breeds in the country,however new and well established breeds can be introduced into the country, to add to what is on ground and also create a platform for breeding. Breeding centers can be established to fashion- out how to get our own highly productive and hardy breed. 4) Waste management; investors can look into the biogas plant to generate electricity and gas or to process as fertilizers which can benefit farmers. The feathers can also be processed and sold as fashion accessories.The blood and fat can also be processed and incorporated into animal feed. 5)Transportation ; investors can look into cooling vans,trucks and buses. This is to ensure that the products get to the market in good condition.The transportation of live birds to markets is another area of investment.

Agric Firm Plans to Build N7billion Poultry Farm in Nigeria.

An agricultural company, Multi-Net Group Nigeria, has disclosed plans to build a large poultry farm at a cost of N7 billion in the country. The company’s Chairman, Uzoma Obiyo, who revealed this, said the company would also invest in the full value chain of animal husbandry including breeding of animals and processing, up to abattoir development, declaring that the project was currently on board. According to Obiyo, the company had an interest in developing world class poultry in Nigeria, which was assumed to be very expensive to build. He added that after their visibility reports, Abuja, Niger and Imo States have been chosen as pilot states and about N7 billion would be needed to establish the poultry farms in those states. Obiyo, who pointed out that 14 Federal Government’-owned breeding centres had been abandoned due largely to lack of maintenance and government’s insensitivity to the company’s needs, urged the government to privatize the centres for optimal performance. He maintained that without giving those centres to the private entrepreneurs, their potentials to generate revenues for the government would be jeopardized, which would be a big loss to the economic development of the country. Culled from BizwatchNigeria.

HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE CARDBOARD VR HEADSET.

Google has released an app that lets you slot your Android phone into some cardboard to make a virtual-reality headset. The app, titled Cardboard, is a clever way of making virtual reality accessible to a large number of people at relatively little cost. Virtual reality has made exciting progress over the past several years. However, developing for VR still requires expensive, specialized hardware. Thinking about how to make VR accessible to more people, a group of VR enthusiasts at Google experimented with using a smartphone to drive VR experiences. The outcome was Cardboard, which Google describes as "a no-frills enclosure that transforms a phone into a basic VR headset, and the accompanying open software toolkit that makes writing VR software as simple as building a web or mobile app". To build it yourself, you'll need a load of corrugated cardboard (Google suggests using an extra-large pizza box). A pair of lenses with a 40mm focal distance to keep the screen in focus, two magnets to act as hardware buttons, some velcro strips and an eight cm rubber band to hold the phone in place. An NFC tag to launch the app by tapping the headset. The construction is done with these tools, a ruler, glue, scissors and a Stanley knife., Once you've gathered all that together, then use the design card below.. If you get it right ,it will look like this, happy construction. read more wired.co.uk

INCREASE SOW PRODUCTIVITY WITH BETTER NUTRITION..

World pork production continues to rise year-by-year with increases in the number of pigs produced per sow, but the extra productivity also challenges every breeding herd to find feeding solutions for sows and piglets. The impact of nutrition on productivity cannot be overemphasized, thus balanced ration coupled with proper health management is efficient for productivity. The move for alternative protein source is also another factor to consider in piggery business. The cliche" garbage in garbage out" also hold true in pig production.

FEED COSTS AND PRODUCTIVITY.

The Nigerian poultry industry is estimated at ₦80 billion ($600 million) and is comprised of approximately 165 million birds, which pro-duced 650,000 MT of eggs and 290,000 MT of poultry meat in 2013. From a market size perspective, Nigeria’s egg production is the largest in Africa (USDA 2013). Chicken importation was banned by Nigeria in 2003, which spurred growth in domestic poultry production. Statistics from Eurostat, however, shows that between 2009 and 2011 over 3 million MT worth of poultry products were imported into the Republic of Benin, and these products ending up in the Nigerian market. If this is reflected in overall assumptions, estimated poultry meat consumption in Nigeria is approximately 1.2 million MT. This smuggled chicken costs about ₦500- ₦700 ($2.50-$3.50) per kg while locally produced frozen chicken costs between ₦1,000- ₦1,300 ($5 - $6.50) at retail locations, and approximately ₦650 ($3.25) at the farm gate. The price differential between imported and locally produced poultry is driven pri-marily by the high cost of maize and soybeans in Nigeria, and wide fluctuations in these commodity prices during the year. The overview shows the market for poultry and poultry products,and this can be fully harnessed to access the profit potential of the industry. Feed accounts for 65-75% of production cost in livestock,thus strategies to bring down feed costs will spill over on production costs and cost of products.Feeding of livestock must be balanced if adequate growth and development is to be achieved and if products are healthy and wholesome for consumption. Feeding strategies to elicit growth will hinge on the substitution of certain feed stuff with other alternatives to get same desired growth and wholesome products.The basic components dictating the cost of production are maize and soybeans healthy substitutes have been studied and various inclusion rates experimented to get desired results. Producers have been known to indulge in various practices to break-even and reach market weight at desired times,but which have detrimental effects on man and even the animals on a long term. The use of growth promoters have been explored to reduce cost of production by increasing the weight of animals so as to attain market size early. Feed substitutes are the only reliable way to ensure maximum food production and ensure food safety.The other alternatives are use of feed additives, and improved feed conversion techniques such as feed fermentation, provision of forage and other greens for growth.

PIG PRODUCTIVITY # WAY FORWARD.

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Webinar Improve Pig Productivity

How to improve pig productivity? Can it be achieved by applying multi-phase feeding? Or choosing different climate solutions or perhaps looking at pig genetics? Find out more on February 9.

When aiming at the improvement of pig productivity, many solutions are usually focused on enhancing animal nutrition. After all, how could one more directly influence productivity than through feed? What is certain, however, is that there is a host of other options available as well. That is where our search begins on February 9. Pig Progress shall highlight several of these strategies in an exclusive webinar, brought to you live from Amsterdam, the Netherlands (CET 11.00 -12.00 am). The following speakers shall be sharing their views:

	1. Product Manager Pigs Ludo Bosschaerts: International, independent research has proven that multi-phase feeding produces better feed conversion ratio’s (FCR) and has a positive impact on average daily gain (ADG). A better retention of nutrients in the body has been found and a significant reduction in the production of manure, resulting in a lower expulsion of ammonium gasses into the environment. This Roxell concept results in a high return on investment.
	2. Merete Lyngbye, Master of Engineering, PhD, Director for Livestock Segment at Munters will speak about climate solutions to improve pig producers economy and environmental footprint.
	3. Benny van Haandel. Director/consultant at E-barn Solutions will give a presentation titled ‘Are our current pig genetics future proof?’ “How do new developments in various areas and markets affect the required characteristics of future top performing pigs?” ”

Hosted by Vincent ter Beek, editor of Pig Progress, the live webinar offers you the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts in real time.

Tuesday

9

February 2016

starts at 11:00 AM CET

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PROFIT POTENTIAL OF RAISING TURKEY.

A farmer explains the benefits of raising turkeys for profit;Ms Leadoux would not have it any other way, although she got involved because of her husband. Ms Leadoux produces about 6,000 turkeys throughout the year, with preparation for Christmas starting more than 12 months ahead of the festive season.However, she said demand for turkey throughout the year had resulted in huge increases in demand."We are struggling to keep up," she said."We have worked pretty hard to establish a market throughout the year, which means we are producing turkey more often. We are continually knocking back orders at this time of the year, and big orders, like 400 birds."Ms Leadoux said the potential for further increases in demand was "absolutely huge""People have traditionally seen turkey as a festive fare, a speciality meat," she said. "People have been amazed at the variety. When we first started going down to the market, people would walk past the stand. We started taste-testing the product, and getting them to try it."Now it's just phenomenal. The potential of this business is absolutely huge." The profit potential is phenomenal, an aspect of the value chain that is a goldmine. # turkey # poultry # profit # market. story source;ABC NEWS.

POULTRY PIE!!!!

Which piece resonant with you??? Blue represents……production phase. These accounts for all poultry specie, feed, medication, cages, vaccines and drugs. Red represents….processing phase; these accounts for slaughtering, processing and packaging. These include all products from processing chicken. Green represents ……..marketing phase; accounts for all marketing routes, vehicles and channels of marketing. Purple represents…..distribution phase; to stores, cold rooms, food vendors and retailers. Which piece is yours??? Claim it now, and enjoy.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION OF INVESTMENT IN POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

REARING COST FOR 5OO BROILERS; EXPENDITURE AMOUNT. 1) Land...............................................1,500,000 2)Housing...........................................900,000. 3) D.O.C @ 200#.....................................100,000. 4) Brooding cost @ 25#/chick........................12,500. 5)vaccination/medication @ 40#....................20,000. 6)Farm supplies,tools,wheel barrow................15,000. 7)Drinker/feeder.....................................25,000. 8) Feed @ 100g/chick/day @ 0-3 weeks cost of feed(2800).....11,760. 9)Feed @ 180g/chick/day for 4-7 weeks and cost of feed..3000....226,800. 10) Labor...................................20,000. TOTAL.............................2,831,060. Analysis. sale of birds @ 2000/bird. 2000x 490(2% mortality}......980,000. Profit=sale proceeds-recurrent expenditure = 980,000- 391,060 588,940 Naira. An investor will have a profit of 588,940; and subsequent production cost will reduce because the capital expenditure is paid for at onset of production An investor can have this turn over every 42 days,thats a good turn-over. Join the chicky train!!! invest in the poultry value chain.

INVESTING IN POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

Production overview of the poultry-value chain. The value chain encompasses the following poultry species; cockerel, layers , turkeys and broilers. The emphasis of this project is on intensive broiler production because of the rapid return on investment. The advantages of this venture are as follows; 1) Production span is 42-days. 2) Low capital investment. 3) Large market. 4) High turn-over of investment. The broiler production is a profitable venture that is not labour intensive; also the cost of medication is limited because of the length of production. This is also an added advantage as it will further reduce overhead costs and the benefits of this venture are tapped faster than in other poultry species. The processing aspect will involve machines that work at high capacity to process birds in large numbers within a short time. The venture will also promote partnership with other producers, who can use the facility at a fee. This will also be another point of wealth generation, as the cost of the machines will be recovered within a short time. Investors in this value-chain have the rapid return on investment as an advantage because financial institutions have short-term loans that will benefit them.