Crocodile as meat and medicine.

Crocodile as meat and medicine. Crocodile meat is considered an ‘exotic meat’ and is sold commercially to top-end restaurants abroad, most notably in Europe and the Far East. Over 400 tons of crocodile meat is consumed every year. China and Hong Kong are the main importers of crocodile meat. The Chinese attribute medicinal powers to crocodile meat and it is largely considered to be a cure for ailments like respiratory diseases. Crocodile meat is also becoming a popular exotic food in South Africa and it often features on the menu for tourists and adventurous foodies. However, there remains a strong upside potential for crocodile meat on the continent.

Crocodile farming in Africa.

Crocodile farming in Africa.Crocodile farming in Africa is a major contributor to the global luxury market for designer handbags, shoes, belts and other leather accessories. Currently, over one million crocodile skins are traded on the international market every year, exported legally from about 30 countries across the world. In Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa are the largest operators of crocodile farms and producers of crocodile skins.

The Nile Crocodile, which is the dominant crocodile species in Africa, is highly valued for its boneless underbelly and soft leather. It’s no surprise that the European market orders over 100,000 crocodile skins from Africa every year. Asia is another big market for African crocodile skins, where it is used to produce non-branded leather products. Southern Africa dominates the crocodile farming business on the continent. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and a few other countries in East Africa (especially Kenya) are home to the biggest crocodile farms in Africa. The region exports over 250,000 crocodile skins every year. Crocodile farms in Africa predominantly breed Nile crocodiles, which can grow to a length of 20 feet and weigh as much as 400 kilograms. Nile crocodiles are the second-largest crocodile breed in the world, after the saltwater crocodile. In South Africa, there are about 50 registered crocodile farms with over 500,000 crocodiles. Every year, the country exports over 80,000 crocodile skins, worth $12-16 million. Zimbabwe is another major producer of crocodile skins. In Zimbabwe, crocodile skin exports are worth close to $30m, as they are sent – mainly to Europe – to be crafted into handbags, boots and other accessories. The short video below about crocodile farming in Zimbabwe profiles the country’s $100 million per year crocodile farming industry.

Tomato Millionaires In The Making: How These 4 Smart Entrepreneurs Are Making Money from Africa’s Tomato Problems.

Tomato Millionaires In The Making: How These 4 Smart Entrepreneurs Are Making Money from Africa’s Tomato Problems. Tomatoes are Africa’s most consumed fruit (or vegetable); eaten by millions of people across our continent’s diverse religious, ethnic and social groups. Both in its raw and processed forms, tomatoes are central to most African diets and remain a regular ingredient in many soups, stews, sauces and dishes across the continent. Sadly, despite the ‘celebrity’ status of tomatoes in Africa, our continent does not provide enough tomatoes to meet its own needs. Almost every country in Africa consumes more tomatoes than it produces. The rest is imported from outside the continent, especially from China – which is now the world’s biggest exporter of tomato products. More than 50 percent of tomatoes harvested every year in Nigeria never make it to the market. Due to poor storage and a lack of processing options, a lot of tomatoes harvested in Nigeria is wasted. Another reason is, in most parts of Africa, tomatoes are mainly grown by small-scale rural farmers who have limited access to good seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. They also depend on natural rainfall to grow their tomatoes which makes the harvests unpredictable and inconsistent. Nigeria is not alone in this. This same ugly tomato situation is at play across the continent; from West and East Africa to Southern Africa.There are already a few smart entrepreneurs on the continent who have observed the huge and lucrative gaps in Africa’s tomato market and are already making some good progress.

AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop.

AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop.Mozambique is among the key players at the forefront of the growing buzz around cassava, having found a way to farm and process the plant on a large scale.

AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop. Mozambique’s Impala Beer is made from cassava, a root vegetable that grows in tropical areas.There’s a quiet cassava revolution in Africa as organisations and governments realise the plant’s impact on empowering smallholder farmers and developing rural communities. AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop. At the heart of this development is the Dutch Agriculture Development and Trading Company (DADTCO). The company has developed a mobile processing factory that is able to process the crop into cake and starch flour. AGRIBUSINESS: How cassava beer in Mozambique transformed a poor man’s crop into a cash crop.Not only has DADTCO’s invention changed the perception around cassava and the way the crop is grown and processed, it has helped empower smallholder farmers, whom the company buys cassava from. This breakthrough technology, they say, “bridges the gap between smallholder farmers and large food companies.” At the beginning of the initiative, farmers used to sell an average of 1.5 tonnes of cassava roots per year, but now the number has more than tripled. This indicates the benefits of a steady market for those who grow the tropical plant.

5 Exciting Reasons Why You Should Start A Business in Africa’s Agribusiness industry.

5 Exciting Reasons Why You Should Start A Business in Africa’s Agribusiness industry.When most people think of agriculture in Africa, images of poor and overworked farmers with crude tools on a rural farm readily come to mind. Many, especially young Africans, still think that agribusiness is a poor man’s occupation. Nowadays everybody wants a white-collar office job in the city. Agribusiness is hardly on anyone’s mind. Did you know that since 2009, investors in the USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia have been buying and leasing millions of hectares of African land for agricultural purposes? Many people may not know it but there’s a trend of serious land grabbing by foreign interests for African land. Did you know that Foreign Direct Investment in African agribusiness was $10 billion in 2010 and is projected to reach $45 billion by 2020? Agriculture is taking a huge leap in Africa and investors want a piece of the action too. Did you know that Africa’s agribusiness industry will be worth $1 trillion by 2030! That’s huge! If this projection by the UN comes true, agribusiness will become the ‘new oil’ in Africa. Agribusiness is one of the best business opportunities in the world because food never goes out of fashion. People must eat food everyday! Currently, Africa’s population is just over one billion people. At its current growth rate, the continent’s population is expected to reach 2.2 billion by 2050. Now and in the future, Africa will always have a lot of mouths to feed. Africa currently spends billions of dollars every year to import grains, flour and all kinds of finished and semi-finished foods which it can produce locally. There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs who can provide cheaper and locally-grown alternatives to the food that Africa imports. It’s not just the food industry that depends on agribusiness. Several other industries, especially the manufacturing and processing industries, depend on agribusiness for a wide range of raw materials. As Africa’s economies continue to grow, the demand for raw materials will surely increase and create more interesting opportunities for agribusiness on the continent.

Post-Harvest Losses in Horticulture Crops and the Importance of Clean Cold Chain Development in India.

Post-Harvest Losses in Horticulture Crops and the Importance of Clean Cold Chain Development in India.The objective of the workshop was to co-design the implementation of frameworks for the provision of clean and sustainable post-harvest food cold chain. 

 The latter is defined in the report "India's Third Agricultural Revolution- Doubling Farmers' Income through Clean Cold Chains" as an integrated and seamless network of refrigerated and temperature controlled pack houses, distribution hubs and vehicles used to maintain the safety, quality and quantity of food while moving it swiftly from farm gate to consumption centre. 

Such facilities, the report highlights, ought to be attractive to end users, civil society, government, policy makers and industry to ensure impact, legacy, and scalability.

Central New York accounting firm launches agribusiness division.

Central New York accounting firm launches agribusiness division.Syracuse-based Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs LLC recently launched a division specializing in agricultural issues. The firm, which operates an Auburn office, has provides services for agribusiness clients for several years, but decided to formalize a speciality group due to the industry's growth. Agribusiness clients include dairy farms, feed mills, swine/hog farms, beef farms, apple orchards, distilleries, wineries, vineyards and breweries, and services provided to those businesses include accounting, auditing and taxation.