Monday, 6 August 2018

Why You Need To Invest in Plantain Farming Now?

Why You Need To Invest in Plantain Farming Now?

In Agro-Business there is always a period of glut and also a period when a particular agro product will be scarced at the market.
At this two different period there is what we called 5 Powers of P's:

Proper, Planning, Prevent, Poor, Performance.

In any Agro-Business, you have to know the period when people needs your products, like in poultry you must produced your broilers towards festive periods if not you will failed.

Asides that, there are some products that are required all year round, those products are called essential commodity. They are what people needs daily, like for example some people can't do without including fried plantain in their diets daily.

In this case as well, there should be timely production of whatever you want to send to the market. And in planning you must put two things in consideration, your target and goals.

1. Is your target, is just to make ends meet?
2. Or your goals is to become a business magnate in what you're doing?

If all you do is just to make ends meet, then you don't really have to worry yourself, just get on the venture and do it the same way other people are doing it.

But if you're planning to be more successful, you have go the extra mile. You have to do it differently, you have to take a greater risk, you have to put in all what it takes to achieve what you want.

@FarmerWealth: we're into all stuffs of Agro-Business but on this post we're talking about the prospects of PLANTAIN FARMING by making massive awareness to get the youths involved, the unemployed, the retirees and willing investors.

Actually the best time to plant a sucker is during the peak of rainy season, but at this time, every farmers including the free growing plantain at the backyard will be massively sent to the market which may result to glut, thereby resulting to low prices of plantain bunches in the market.

To prevent such phenomenal whereby you put much and you earn little, you have to planned differently by planting your suckers withing the middle periods of rainfall. Like you plant towards when the rain is about going, so you harvest like 3-4 months after others have harvested their product.

You may be wondering what may happens to the plantation after the rain, plantain is a plant that has the ability to survived several harsh conditions just because it has a conical underground swollen root that is called a corm.

The corm stores water and nutrients that the plantain will requires throughout its life cycle, and this tells you why it's difficult to destroy an existing plantain/banana plantation even when you set it up on fire because it will surely regenerate after some time.

And even if the condition is so terrible like a severe drought periods, irrigation is an option. An established plantation will requires 1 or 2 waters showers a week.

Planting at the off period gives you an edge cos there will be few plantain bunches at the market, and definitely there will be high pricing which gives you more profit and less stress selling your product.

When their is glut, you begged to sell:
But when product is scarced, they begged you to buy.

So,

@FarmersWealth: we implore you to invest now. We're at your service in the areas of setting up and management till you get the results. This tells you that, you can give us your resources to invest for you, while you're at your other businesses.

Pls, join our whatsapp group for more discussion:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/0tkVvqmf1aG4baSaiwSh28

You can always reach us on:

Tel/whatsapp: +2348068447729
Instagram: @farmerswealthng
Fb: @farmerswealth
Blog: farmerswealth.blogspot.com
Email: farmerswealthinc@gmail.com

You can subscribed our youtube channel
@ Mayowa Durosinmi-Etti
To watch and get updates on the development of sustainable agro-business.

Thanks for your time!

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Introducing Plantain Farming In Nigeria. The 3 Right Ways to Plant Plantains, it's Health and Nutrional Benefits.

3 Steps to Rightly Plant Your Plantain Suckers for Maximum Yield

Have you ever wondered why some healthy, vigorously growing plantain suckers with a high yielding potential produce little fruits upon maturity?
Have you ever planted your suckers only to be hit with the disappearance of rain as soon as you plant your suckers, leading to low yields?
Many farmers experienced this too.
Having properly set up their plantain farms, they found out that at maturity, some of the plantains has few hands (low yield) leading to poor sales and poor income for the farmer.
Some also discovered that some months, even weeks, after planting their suckers, the rains suddenly disappear and leave them to artificially supplying water to their growing suckers which is usually quite stressful and energy-sapping.
If you do not plant your suckers very close to their optimum time, with the right technique and put them in the right hole size, they would not give their best yield and that will mean low sales and low income to your pocket. You do not want that, right?

So how will you go about it?

1. Time to Plant
Suckers are planted immediately after field preparation. Plantains can be planted throughout the rainy season. However, they should grow vigorously and without water stress during the first 3 to 4 months after planting. Therefore they should not be planted during the last months of the rainy season.
Planting with the first rains or last rains may be agronomically sound but financially disadvantageous. Most farmers will plant at the onset of the rains, causing the market to be flooded with bunches 9 to 12 months after planting, when prices will be very low.
Planting with the last rains will mean more stress for the farmer as he must artificially supply water to the plants so as to maintain the optimum soil moisture content and ensure good yield.
Hence, planting in the middle of the rainy season is a better proposition as plantains will then be produced off-season and get high prices.

2. Hole Size to Plant In
Plant holes are prepared with a minimum size of about 30 cm x 30cm x 30 cm, which is about the length of a plastic ruler. Holes can be dug with a shovel. If you are planting for fruit production it should be spaced about 8 to 10 feet.

3. Process for Planting
Care should be taken to separate the topsoil from bottom soil. The sucker is placed in the hole and its corm is covered, first with the topsoil and
then with the bottom soil. This is because the top soil is more fertile than the sub soil and the new sucker requires much nutrients. To supplement the fertility of the top soil, manure can be mixed with it before being placed in the hole.
In the plant hole, the side of the sucker corm which was formerly attached to the corm of its mother plant is placed against the wall of the hole. The opposite side of the sucker’ corm is placed towards the middle of the plant hole, where the soil is loose.
The best sucker (the future ratoon) will emerge at the side opposite to where the planted sucker was previously attached to the mother plant. If the land is sloping, the sucker should be so oriented that its follower will emerge against the slope. That will delay the development of the so-called high mat when the ratoon crop grows out of the soil and exposes the corm.
Source: wwww.medium.com

Importance of Plantain

Plantains contain more starch and less sugar than dessert bananas, therefore they are usually cooked or otherwise processed before being eaten. They are always cooked or fried when eaten green. At this stage, the pulp is hard and the peel often so stiff that it has to be cut with a knife to be removed.
Mature, yellow plantains can be peeled like typical dessert bananas; the pulp is softer than in immature, green fruit and some of the starch has been converted to sugar. They can be eaten raw, but are not as flavourful as dessert bananas, so are usually cooked. When mature, yellow plantains are fried, they tend to caramelize, turning a golden-brown color. They can also be boiled, baked, microwaved or grilled over charcoal, either peeled or unpeeled.

Plantains are a staple food in the tropical regions of the world, ranking as the tenth most important staple food in the world. As a staple, plantains are treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying.
Since they fruit all year round, plantains are a reliable all-season staple food, particularly in
developing countries with inadequate food storage, preservation and transportation technologies. In Africa, plantains and bananas provide more than 25 percent of the
carbohydrate requirements for over 70 million people. Musa spp. do not stand high winds well, however, so plantain plantations are liable to destruction by hurricanes.
An average plantain has about 220 calories and is a good source of potassium and dietary fiber. The sap from the fruit peel, as well as the entire plant, can stain clothing and hands, and can be very difficult to remove.
Source: www.nutrition-and-you.com

Health Benefits of Plantains

Plantain relatively has more calories weight for weight than that in the table bananas. 100 g plantain holds about 122 calories, while dessert banana has only 89 calories. Indeed, they are very reliable sources of starch and energy; ensuring food security for millions of inhabitants worldwide.
It contains 2.3 g of dietary fiber per 100 g (6% of DRA per 100 g). The adequate amount of dietary fiber in the food helps regular bowel movements, thereby reducing constipation problems.
Fresh plátanos have more vitamin-C than bananas. 100 g provide 18.4 mg or 31% of daily required levels of this vitamin. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. However, boiling and cooking destroy much of this vitamin in plantains.
Plantains carry more vitamin A than bananas. 100 g fresh ripe plantains contain 1127 IU or 37.5% of daily required levels of this vitamin. Besides being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin-A plays a vital role in the visual cycle, maintaining healthy mucosa, and enhancing skin complexion.
As in bananas, they too are rich sources of B-complex vitamins, particularly high in
vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine). Pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role in the treatment of neuritis, anemia, and to decrease homocysteine (one of the causative factors for coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels in the body. Also, the fruit contains moderate levels of folates, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin.
They also provide adequate levels of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well.
Fresh plantains have more potassium than bananas. 100 g fruit provides 499 mg of potassium (358 mg per 100 g for bananas ). Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering adverse effects of sodium.
Source: Wikipedia

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PLANTAIN FARMING

CALL OR WHATSAPP THIS NO: +2348068447729
Instagram @farmerswealthng
Facebook @farmerswealth
Email farmerswealthinc@gmail.com

Monday, 31 July 2017

8 Questions A Catfish Farmer MUST Answer “YES” To, In Order To Make GOOD Profits!

Written by Tayo Solagbade

As more and more catfish farms spring up, every catfish farm owner will have to contend with increased availability of the same products(fingerlings and table-size catfish) in the same market. To avoid losing out, the wise catfish farmer needs to start exploring Variable Cost Reduction initiatives that will enable production of larger numbers of catfish(fingerlings and/or table fish) at lesser cost, in lesser time, and using lesser resources. Are you planning to(or already) own a catfish farm? If yes, I urge you to go beyond enjoying the psychological satisfaction that people think you are making money from it. Instead put your hard earned startup capital to good and lasting use, by doing the things I have described in this report to ensure you do make GOOD money in form of tangible PROFITS.

Catfish Farming Is Not Like Trading(Buying and Selling)
The first encounter I had with the catfish was when in Secondary school, I and some fellow boarding students discovered a deep hole which had — on the surface at least – been dry all through the dry season partly filled with water, and to our surprise, some adult catfish! We harvested them using mosquito nets and enjoyed a good meal by frying them using butter on stoves. I would later wonder about how the catfish had survived in the dried up pond all through the dry season up till the start of the rainy season. That experience made me develop a keen interest in learning more about rearing catfish.

Catfish farming has really caught on in Nigeria. Many people today are eager to learn about it especially after hearing about how lucrative both the fingerlings production and grow out ventures can be. Typically, the adverts and articles on the subject present impressive data on startup costs and turnover expected. But that’s where they stop – Turnover. Few, if any, venture further to talk about HOW the prospective farmer will ensure s/he can CONTINUALLY achieve REAL profits (i.e. the difference between turnover and expenses incurred) from running the business.

The reality after all is that once you start a livestock production venture like Catfish farming, your plan is not likely to be to simply complete one cycle of production, make money from selling off your fish, and take off to spend your profits. That is often what obtains with trading, supplies of materials and other businesses that deal with intangibles or are time-bound in nature. With Catfish farming, once you start it, the engagement is likely to be long term. Which is why you must look for every possible way to operate that will enable you stay reasonably profitable and competitive regardless of marketplace occurrences.

Your Farm’s Operating Costs MUST Be Constantly Monitored And Controlled
Let’s be honest here. If you do not keep a grip on your cost of production, your turnover may not give you much profits. On a number of occasions when I have met with persons involved in this business, and tried to get specific details of profit margins achievable, the best answers I got was “Ah, the market is embarrsasing.Your expenses will be nothing compared to the turnover you will record.” That’s simply too vague, and will certainly not easily convince any smart investor to buy into your farm venture.

It is actually true that the catfish farming business offers attractive returns on investment. However that benefit does not go to everyone who ventures into it – only those who do it right, consistently. To do it right, anyone going into business (no matter how micro or small it is) MUST take the pains to measure and monitor the profit margins and other performance indicators of her business so that the true health of the business will never be in doubt at any point in time. This requirement is especially true in the case of production based processes like Catfish farming.

Do you have farm records?
Most Nigerian Catfish Farms DO NOT KEEP DETAILED/USEFUL RECORDS. For most people who venture into business in Nigeria, records of revenue/earned income and expenses over time(daily, weekly, monthly or yearly) are never diligently kept, nor does the business owner ever bother to review or analyse those documented records. The result is that when the profit margins for instance begin to drop gradually, it is not noticed until it it’s too late. From my interactions with many catfish farmers in Lagos this problem of lack of detailed, accurate record keeping for business performance evaluation is widespread.

Okay, Maybe They Don’t Keep Records, But They Still Do Well – Don’t They?
You could argue that it does not matter since they still seem to be doing well. But I would say it depends on the farm. The truth is that it cannot cost all the farmers in Lagos the same amount of money to run say their fingerlings production ventures for the 4 to 6 weeks needed to get ready-for-sale fingerlings. Now if the foregoing is correct, the question to ask is how profitable can it be for everyone to sell at N10.00 per fingerling for instance,if some people achieve N9.00 cost of production per fish and others N5.00?

Every process is different from the other. Each farm will have had its own peculiar needs, problems etc. Some people have to pay for water or for fuel to power the gen that pumps water. Some will use Artemia(which is not cheap to buy) while others will get daphnia from stagnant pools around. A farm might experience a disease outbreak and have to purchase drugs to control it. Many things could(and do) happen that would make each farm end up spending more or less than the next farm to get its fish to the age/size where they are ready for sale.

Now, at the point of sale, the total cost of production for the batch of fish to be sold, would be the cost of electricity, water, feed, drugs, labour (and cost of fish losses/mortalities i.e. dead) and every other material used during that production run divided by the total number of fish left for sale. This would give the actual cost of production for EACH fish. Having derived this, the farmer would then be better informed as to what selling price to adopt .

But what happens in real life is that most people simply rear the fish and sell them at whatever they consider the prevailing price. In other words, they never really know for sure: (a) How much profit they make (b) If the profit will be adequate to meet the cash flow etc business needs.

Some Questions A Catfish Farmer MUST Be Able To Answer “YES” To In Order To Make GOOD Profits!
If you are a catfish farmer, and can answer YES to the following questions, then consider yourself as one who does not need to read the rest of this report.

1. Do you know how much it costs you – in Naira – to produce one(1) catfish fingerling or adult?

2. Do you know what the difference – in Naira – is between your cost of producing one(1) fingerling or adult, and the selling price you adopt?

3. Do you know what the trend in your total profit margin for your catfish farm has been since you started it? Has it been rising upwards, going downwards, or remained at the same level?

4. Can you produce detailed and traceable data to back up your claims/answers to question 1, 2 and 3?

5. Do you use (a). weekly pond records forms and (b). pond conversion ratios forms on your farms?

6. Do you know how much of your feed(in bags or kilograms etc) will be used to raise one batch of fingerlings to table size? Can you supply data to back up that claim?

7. Do you know how much you spend on marketing/sales to dispose of each batch of your catfish production? Do you reflect that in estimating your selling price – and eventual profits?

8. Do you have any process management system in place on your farm to ensure your operating costs are kept at an optimal level that will always ensure comfortable REAL profit margins are recorded?

The Challenge for Catfish Farmers
A BIG challenge awaits many who venture into this catfish business which few(if any) of them will be forewarned about. More people learning about this lucrative vocation, which means the overt time a larger number of producers are likely to increase availability of fingerlings and table-sized fish in the market. This in turn will tend to either keep prices fixed or competitive market forces will see price drops by certain producers so that they can quickly turn around their processes.

What is the challenge I speak about? It is whether catfish farmers will be able able to continue selling at prices that are profitable even as catfish producers increase in number in the market.

The Solution: Efficient Process Management via Variable Costs Control/Reduction
You cannot manage something, if you do not measure it, nor can you measure it if you do not record it. For instance, feeding of the fish constitutes a major chunk of costs incurred in turning out a batch of fingerlings or table-sized fish. Often up to 80% of the cost of production is due to feeding expenses. However, most Nigerian fish farmers do not keep reliable or regular records of feeding done, so it is difficult for them to accurately assess whether or not they/their operatives are overfeeding or not.

The farmer who can CONTINUALLY sell at stable(or lower) prices while earning the same(or greater) profit margins by driving costs down, compared to competitors will always do better! To do this s/he will develop best practice process management systems to effectively control and reduce where possible, the Variable (or Operating) Farm Costs. For as long as s/he keeps exploring ways to reduce the cost of producing each catfish, opportunities to recover profit margins that could be lost as a result of market price drops are likely to periodically emerge.

The result would be that s/he stays in business profitably even during what rivals consider “bad” sales seasons. The foregoing philosophy is one closely adhered to by many highly successful multinational manufacturing organisations locally and internationally. It explains why they have been able to continuously weather the adverse business environment in a place like Nigeria for example.

Read my article titled You Can Increase Your Profits Without Raising Your Prices to learn more about Variable Cost Control/Reduction.

Summary
As more and more catfish farms spring up, every catfish farm owner will have to contend with increased availability of the same products in the same market. As has happened with the GSM business, some farmers will have done their process management so efficiently that they will be able to drop their prices significantly below the market price(or refuse to increase them), and still make as much profit as (or even more than!) their rivals.

To avoid losing out, the wise catfish farmer needs to start exploring Variable Cost Reduction initiatives that will enable production of larger numbers of catfish(fingerlings and/or table fish) at lesser cost, in lesser time, and using lesser resources. Specifically, questions like the following would require serious consideration: How can you modify your production process to significantly reduce time taken or materials used to produce your fish? Are there cheaper alternative feeding stuffs offering similar nutritional benefits that you can use ? Do you know where to find them in the quantities that you need? Would it be useful to have stocks of them in your store in case of unexpected outage of the feeding stuffs you currently use?

Other questions remain. I could go on, but I think the point I’ve made here is clear enough already. So much thinking/re-organisation will have to be done initially to develop the needed systems. But the process once started, can only get easier. And the positive benefits from adopting this approach will be immediately obvious.

Are You Planning To(Or Already) Own A Catfish Farm?
If yes, I urge you to go beyond enjoying the psychological satisfaction that people think you are making money from it. Instead I urge you to put your hard earned startup capital to good and lasting use, by doing the things I have described in this report to ensure you do make GOOD money in form of tangible PROFITS that will reflect in your having what Jeffery Meyer calls an MBA (Massive Bank Account)!

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

African Union Commission 8th Batch African Union Youth Volunteer Corps(AU-YVC) - Multiple Locations Across Africa

The African Union Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC), established in 2010, is a continental development program that promotes youth volunteerism in Africa. The program aims to deepen the status of young people as key actors in Africa's development targets and goals, enhancing their participation in policy development as well as design and implementation of relevant interventions towards the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, ‘The Africa we want’.


It brings people together to share skills, knowledge, creativity and learning to build a more integrated, prosperous and peaceful Continent driven by its citizens. The volunteering opportunities are intended to build professionalism and a sense of responsibility among the participants, thus enhancing their employability.

Young African professionals are recruited to serve for a period of 12 months as AU Volunteers in an AU Member State other than their own. The next intake of volunteers for deployment in 2018 will be from the 11th – 31st of July 2017.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants have to meet the following criteria:
1. Citizen of an AU Member State living on the continent or the Diaspora;
2. Aged between 18 – 35 years;
3. Have a post-secondary certified qualification(s) (TVET, Bachelor’s degree or equivalent)
4. Available in 2018 to dedicate 12 (twelve) months for volunteer work;
5. Willing to live and work in another AU Member State;
6. Is proficient in at least one AU working language (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese);
7. Has at least one year verifiable volunteering experience and one year professional work experience.

Application Process (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

Before clicking the apply now button below, please note the following:

1. You will need to fill in a form on the next page. This form will help us assess your suitability for the program. Kindly respect the stated word limit. You are advised to type your answers in a Word Processor (such as Microsoft Word) before pasting in the relevant fields.

2. You will also need to add in a motivation letter with a maximum of 750 words. This should be added under the 'Cover letter' text box. Please ensure that your motivation letter answers the following:
♥ Why you want to become an African Union Youth Volunteer?
♥ Why you believe you are the best candidate to be an African Union Youth Volunteer?
♥ What is your experience(s) (formal or informal) in youth civic engagement and participation, youth empowerment and/or promoting Pan-Africanism?
♥ How has your previous experience(s) prepared you to work in diverse teams and cultures?
♥ What change do you expect to see in yourself, the organization that you will be deployed in, and the community that you will be part of after your year of service?

3. Attach a copy of your CV

4. You will ALSO need to attach the following. Please merge these as one PDF document and attach that document. You might choose to use a service such as www.pdfmerge.com to do this.
♥ A copy of the identity page in your passport or national identity card
♥ Highest post-secondary certified qualification(s)
♥ Signed Letter of Recommendation verifying your volunteer experience(s).

5. Deadline for submission of applications is Monday, 31st July 2017 at Midnight GMT+3

Pls note:

1. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered
2. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
3. Candidates who had applied in previous years are and still meet the eligibility criteria are encourage to re-apply
Recruitment Process & Key Dates
1. 1st August – eligibility Check;
2. 14th August: Successful applicants will be notified;
3. September 2017: Pre-deployment training;
4. 2018: Deployment of trained volunteers.
Volunteer Entitlements:
For the successful candidates, the African Union Commission and its partners will cover the full costs of their pre-deployment training.
On deployment, African Union Youth Volunteers receive the following:
1. Economy return air ticket from home town to place of deployment
2. A modest monthly stipend
3. Health insurance cover
4. Separation allowance upon successful completion of twelve months service.

More Information:

For more information/queries, please contact Ms Prudence Ngwenya (Head of Human Resources and Youth Development Division); or Mr Daniel Adugna (AU Youth Program Officer) on youth@africa-union.org
Visit our website: www.africa-youth.org
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/auyvc / www.facebook.com/africa.youth
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/au_yvc / www.twitter.com/auyouthprogram

Apply here:

https://africanunioncommission.has-jobs.com/8th-batch-african-union-youth-volunteer-corps-multiple-locations-across-africa/155999/0/apply

Monday, 24 July 2017

The biggest secrets for turning your small business into a big business (Part 1)

By Dr Strive Masiyiwa

Your business must have a life separate from you!

Years ago I shared with you the sad story of an old man who had a supermarket at a popular location. He boasted that he started his day at 4am and left at 12am. His business never grew because two of the Ps were missing:

# People: He did not hire people with management and leadership skills to run his business.
# Process: He did not invest in the processes that would have allowed him to run multiple locations with lots of time to spare.

You don't ever need to visit a business if these two P's are in place!

When your business is small, you obviously must work every day and every night to make it a success, with energy and passion, and with a deep desire to make it bigger. Now I know some of you are working your hearts out just to make ends meet every day, to feed your kids and get their school fees paid.

Still in your entrepreneurial hearts I know you are working towards a future where your business grows from a small business to a big one... Keep at it, because no matter how small your business is right now, what I am going to say applies to you, too.

The three Ps. For the past several weeks I have discussed the importance of:

# People
# Product
# Process

If you're dreaming of building a business that grows very big, I want to give you another perspective and share a few important secrets on this same topic. Let's talk.

You have heard the expression "get a life"?

__Your business must also have a life!

It's important to allow your business "to get a life of its own," separate from you. It must be a separate living persona that has its own needs, separate from you. You are not the business and the business is not you.

Imagine you run a cash business like a supermarket and a dear relative comes in with an emergency asking for money. Can you say to that person: "I'm sorry I have no money; what I have belongs to the business"?

People who run big successful businesses never treat the money of the business as their own. If this surprises you, then you are not yet ready for the big league!

A friend came to me once and asked me to lend him some money and I said I didn't have any. I could see the bitterness in his face as he said, "Everyone knows you have money because your business is really doing well."

"The business is really doing well, but I'm not the business," I replied. "The two of us are different from each other."

Now if you're new to big business, you will not accept this, but if you went to Bill Gates or Patrice Motsepe they will tell you the same.

Let me tell you, if you cannot do that, you will never be able to own a truly big business.

#Tough talk? You better believe it!

Similarly, you cannot take the money belonging to the business to build a house for your family or buy a new car.

You are only entitled to your salary which should be fixed and taken only when others get paid.  You are also entitled to a small portion of the profit, taken only from Year 4 of successive years of profit. Cap it at 25%.

I have known some absolutely brilliant, innovative entrepreneurs in Africa and yet they struggled with this one thing: They would not allow a business to have a separate life from them.

The entrepreneur who allows the business to have its own life is the one who builds a big business.

To be continued. . .

Image credit Technites: Kwesé gets serious in Nigeria!

Sunday, 23 July 2017

Back to Basics ↓Basic Guides to Successful Catfish Farming↓

EPISODE 2

Chapter 1:

■ Health Benefits of The African Catfish:

Many people enjoy the flavor of catfish, but it offers a variety of health benefits as well. Including the nutritious fish in your diet helps you meet your protein needs and boosts your intake of vitamins and healthy fats and fatty acids. Consider catfish regularly in your meal planning.

♥ Low in Calories and Fat: A 85g serving of catfish introduces 122 calories and 6.1 g of fat into your diet. The low amount of calories in this fish make it a popular choice for a healthy meal plan – women generally require approximately 300 to 500 calories per meal, and men need around 400 to 600 calories, so it fits in well and allows you to serve several healthy side dishes with it. The fat content is also relatively low, and little of it is saturated fat -- 2 g. Avoid consuming more than 16 to 22 g of saturated fat per day; too much in your diet can trigger health problems.

♥ Contains Healthy Fatty Acids: Eating catfish is a tasty way to boost your intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. One serving of this fish provides 220 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 875 mg of omega-6. You will not find federal guidelines on the consumption of these fatty acids, although the American Heart Association suggests including fish in your diet several times each week to increase the amount of fatty acids you eat. Both of these nutrients play a part in heart and cognitive health.

♥ Provides Complete Protein: The 15.6 g of protein in a serving of catfish provides you with all of the amino acids your body needs. This high-quality, complete protein helps your body build lean muscle mass, and it also helps improve the effectiveness of your immune function. You may also rely on protein to provide energy, especially if your body has used all of the carbohydrates you have eaten for fuel.

♥ Source of Vitamin B-12: Consume a serving of catfish, and you take in 40 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin B-12. As a B vitamin, the vitamin B-12 in catfish is critical to aiding your body in the breakdown of the foods you eat into usable energy, but this vitamin has other functions as well. Without enough vitamin B-12 in your diet, your nerve function suffers, and you might become lethargic.

♥ Low in Mercury: Almost all fish contains mercury, a contaminant that may impact your nervous system, but you may safely eat catfish unless the waters in which it is caught are particularly high in mercury. The Environmental Protection Agency lists catfish as one of the mostly commonly consumed, low-mercury fish. Despite this, limiting your consumption of fish to 12 oz. per week is recommended to decrease your exposure. This is especially important if you are pregnant, since high levels of mercury may harm your fetus.

♥♥ Guide: livestrong.com

■ Characteristics of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus):

The rearing of the African sharptooth catfish in Africa started in the early 1970s in Central and Western Africa, as it was realized to be a very suitable species for aquaculture, as:

♥ It grows fast and feeds on a large variety of agriculture byproducts.

♥ It is hardy and tolerates adverse water quality conditions
It can be raised in high densities, resulting in high net yields (6–16 t/ha/year).

♥ In most countries, it fetches a higher price than tilapia , as it can be sold live at the market.

♥ It matures and relatively easily reproduces in captivity
It tolerates difficult conditions in aquaculture.

♥♥ Guide: Wikipedia.

Chapter 2:

■ Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on Fish Farming in Nigeria:

♥ What is the cost of the pond?

♡ This is totally dependent on the cost of materials, size, labour, site location, fish seeds, consultancy fee, e.t.c.

♥ How much will the 1000pcs fish cost?

♡ Fingerlings is usually sold at 8-10naira, juveniles 17-20naira. For 1000 juveniles, the cost is around 17000 to 20000naira depending on the size. Note that fingerlings are still very fragile and its management requires greater skill and experience. It is advisable for beginners to try with juvenile fish.

♥ How long does it take for the fish to grow to marketable size?

♡ It depends on the duration of the program, and the target market. Some farmers rear fish for 3months and attained an average weight of 500g, some also reared for 6months and attained the weight of 500g - 1kg. So, it depends on interest and choice of the target market, it is advisable to embark on a thorough market survey to determined the specific demand of fish in weight and size before going into production.

♥ How much will it cost to feed 1000fish till they are ready for sale?

♡ Assuming a bag of coppens feed cost N6000 (2mm), and a bag of local feed cost N3500 (4mm). 6bags of coppens cost N36000 and 18bags of local feed cost N63000.
The total amount is N99000, plus transportation and miscellaneus lets say N10000 then the cost of feeding 1000fish to attained an average weight of 500 to 800g is N109000.
Note that this calculation goes in line with current price of feed and fish in the market, it is adviceable to always carried out a thorough market survey on feed and final product of fish before going into production.

♥ How much will one catfish be sold?

♡ The catfish per piece in relation to sizes and weight is sold at the rate at which it was priced at the current market and sales outlet. Prospective catfish farmers should ensure to go on a thorough market survey to know the trends in price change in the market over the past 3months.

♥ What is the difference between fingerlings and juveniles?

♡ Fingerlings are around 4-5weeks old and are about 0.5 to 1g. Juveniles are around 7-9weeks old, and are about 5 to 10g.
Some miscreants may sell over age runts as fish seeds, standard seeds are mostly shiny black, and very active in swimming. Always buy quality seeds from a reputable and trustworthy hatcheries.

♥ Will those fish grow well in a brick constructed form?

♡ Catfish virtually does well in all rearing enclosures, they performed well in concrete tanks provided they are well cured prior to stocking.

♥ If the temperature is too higher, how can i protect water from  being too hot for my fish?

♡ Fish lives permanently in water, and they are cold blooded animal. Water can never be too hot for catfish while in water except in some abnormal situation or occurrences.

♥ Are trully fish cannibalistic in nature and when can I start sorting my fish?

♡ Catfish are naturally cannibalistic, it is an instinct that cannot be eradicated but can be reduced to a minimal level. Besides, they feed hierarchically which resulted in irregular growth among the fishes.
The bigger and stronger fish eats first, while the smaller fish feeds on the remnants. To avoid these, monthly sorting should carried be out on a routine basis.

♥ How do I feed my fish, how do I know they are satisfied or not?

♡ This is the most important question for a newbie in catfish farming. Good feeding management plays a vital role to a successful catfish venture. I remember sometime around  2016, I supplied 3000 fingerlings to a farm at Ofada town on Friday.
I monitored the fish, and went back to school at Abeokuta on Sunday. On Tuesday, I started recieving ceaseles calls that the fish I left in good condition are dieing. I wonder what could have happened, albeit I was very busy at Abeokuta. I reported to the farm on Thursday, but to my surprise 2000 fish are already gone.
As a professional, and at first sight of the water I noticed there were oxygen depletion which leads to a secondary infections as a result of poor feeding.
After doing all could be done, I medicated the fish and within 2hours the whole system was brought back to normal.
How do you feed fish?
There are two major methods which are Spot and Broadcasting Feeding. Broadcast feeding is strictly to largescale farmers who have plots or hectares of ponds and thousands of fish to feed at a time.
To small scale farmers, the only method is Spot feeding. This will let you know wether your fish are eating or not, it will let you know the health status of your fish and will also ensure maximal feeding among the various sizes.

♥ How do I test the pH of my water, and how do I raise it if it is too low?

♡ A pH meter is an instrument used to measure acidity or alkalinity of the pond or tank water. pH is the unit of measure that describes the degree of acidity or alkalinity. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14.
1-6Acidic, 7 Neutral, 8-14 Alkaline. The best range for a farmed catfish is 5-8, if it is too low water should be pumped and left for few hours in sun, or addition of alkaline element will do.

♥ Do fishes use drugs should incase they fall sick?

♡ Fish use drugs just like any other animal, but the method is slightly different. Catfish are freshwater fish, and freshwater fishes does not drink water because of osmo-regulation.
Drugs are ingested through their body surface, by the addition of it through the following methods - Dip, Bash and Flush Method.

♥ How many adult fish can my pond rear?

♡ Doing your assignment well on stocking density will help know how many fish your pond can rear at a time. Stocking densities varies with rearing enclosures - in earthen ponds it is usually low, compared to artifially made enclosures.

♥ What materials can I used to rear fish, aside from earthen ponds?

♡ There are various types of materials such as concrete tanks, plastic tanks, locally and imported vats, fibre tanks, e.t.c. This will be discussed fully in the next episodes.

♥ How can I evaluate if oxygen in water is reduced?

♡ If oxygen is reduced their will be bubbles all over the water, you will also see the fish hanging all over the surface of the water (discomforts). If you noticed and the water is still much clearer, try to aerate the water using a beating or striking object. Do this for some time, oxygen will be restored.
In an instance, when you noticed discomforts and the water is too greenish or brown just changed the water immediately.

♥ Is it possible to not to have an earthen pond in an area that is swampy or waterlogged?

♡ Yes, very possible but the soil must be able to hold water or you create an embarkment pond. Also, there must be unlimited availability of water from a dependable source such as borehole, nearby flowing river or spring.

♥ Pls what is this pipe i often see popping out of the fish tanks meant for?

♡ Lol... The pipes serves as verves to water outlet, when removed water flushes out.

♥ When do I switch to the different mm of feeds?

♡ You switched according to the mouth gapes at different stages of production. Fingerlings eats 0.5 to 1mm, Juveniles 2mm, Jumbos 2-3.5mm, Sub-adult to table size 4mm and above.

Chapter 3:

■ Job Opportunities in Catfish Farming:

The underlisted are the various potentials of catfish farming.

♥ Hatchery Services (Breed and sale)
♡ Fingerlings
♡ Juveniles
♡ Broodstocks

♥ Table-Size Production
♡ Melunch
(250 to 300grams)
♡ Table-size (500 to 1kg).

♥ Fish Processing Services
♡ Buy and smoked (catfish)
♡ Pepper soup making
♡ Fish grilling at bars.

♥ Tank/Pond Construction:
♡ Tank construction and repair
♡ Earthen pond construction and repair.
♡ Vats construction and repair.

These will be discussed fully in the next episode.

Continue  same time nextweek!!!

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Thursday, 13 July 2017

Back to Basics ↓Basic Guides To Successful Catfish Farming↓

EPISODE ONE

Chapter 1:

■ LET'S CHARGE OURSELVES UP!

Africans it's high time we go back to the basics, it's high time we go back to what we know how to do best. We can't keep enriching the pockets of the already developed nations, let's strive to developed our own soil. Let's not wait for what the government has to offer, but keep striving to improved our daily standard of living by adding our own quota.

What do we need to survive?

Critically, humanity needs agriculture as the pillar of all functions. Agriculture provides food, raw materials and herbs which are the essence of life.

Everybody needs food, the rich and poor eats food for survival. Without food, no work can be done. Food brings hopes and aspirations to the mind, it lifts the soul of the weary and energise the body of weak.

Herbs ensure good health care, it is the basics of drugs and vaccines for treating humans. It is evident that everybody needs medical attention, hence! herbs and medicine is necessary for human well being and care.

Aqua and agro-products provides raw materials for industrial use, fish oil is useful in the production of cod liver oil, cocoa is useful in beverages company, cassava is useful in bread and garri factory, to mention but a few, all these agro and aqua-products are useful in our day to day life activities.

The statement "Life is not a bed of roses" is accepted to only who don't just wait unto the Lord but takes calculated risks and accepts failure as a correctional tool. The Universe has been designed to satisfy our daily needs, he who works will never go wanted, therefore the more you work, the more you earn. The term "work" in this context is measured by the ability to use the brain judiciously in relation with time and effort. The value of your "brainwork" in real sense is the impact of your work to your generation which may be amounts to gratitude in money, fame and accolades.

Going to school only gives you the info to be successful in your chosen career, which in real sense outlined the popular quote; "Education is the bedrock of success". Education is not the platform, success in careers only comes from the active use of knowledge and ideas gathered through education and the active application of these in real life gives the desired results.

☆☆Do not live by the book, make it real by taken reasonable actions☆☆.

Education can be gotten through several platform, few of these are; academic, apprenticeship, personal tutor and research, which explains Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg success story in ICT as both are Havard drop out.

☆☆All ventures are worthy of sacrifices in effort, time and money; but persistency keeps you on the move☆☆.

Let's narrow this discussion to Fish Farming as we move to chapter two.

Chapter 2:

■LET'S GET INFORMED!

Fishes are categorised into two; shell and fin fishes. The former are fish with shell and they include crabs, prawns, lobsters, shrimps e.t.c. Fin fishes are broadly classified as scale and naked fish with fin on their pelvic, pectoral and caudal region. Not all fin fish are culturable, most species are culturable in their natural environments i.e. fresh, brackish and marine water bodies; while few are culturable in an enclosed or indoor environments.

Commercial methods of culturing  fish can be broadly classified into: Mariculture and Aquaculture. Harvesting and capture of fish in the wild is regarded as Fisheries, which are further divided into Artisanal and Industrial Fishing.

Aquaculture is the branch involving the whole spectrum of fish products. But Mariculture pertains to a branch of aquaculture.

•Mariculture: the rearing of fish in their natural environment using rearing devices such as cage and pen. Mariculture is purely marine and it is ideal for rearing of fin and shell fishes of the marine environment. It also involves rearing of marine fishes in tanks using sea water, this idea is only realistic to people that have unlimited access to the sea. That is; people that lives closed to the sea water.

•Aquaculture: is the rearing of fish and other aquatic organisms in a controlled environment. Aquaculture for freshwater culturable species has been popularised in Nigeria, in exception to industrial culture of some marine species. There are different species of culturable fish in Nigeria water bodies, common species includes Tilapia, Catfish, Arowanas as not all culturable species are commercially important. Likewise not all freshwater fishes can be breed out of their natural environment.

Another important factor is knowledge of the field one is vesting into, truly they say knowledge is power but the power of knowledge is which that is derived from its application. In a nutshell knowledge has no power except that which is gained from its application.

The only way one can succeed in life is not only by jumping unto the bus to do what others are doing, but by going extra mile to bring the virtual part of life into reality. In other word 'thinking out of the box' makes one superbs in his/her endeavours, this gives an edge over other competitors.

Fish farming venture has gone beyond doing it as an alternative way to making ends meet. It needs a complete devotion and alot of commitment to succeed amongst the midst of other competitors, the utmost key to survival is the availability of enormous knowledge and ideas which is within the reach of the enterpreneurs.

Fish farming requires substantial capital, reliable and adequate information on the market and various areas of production in order for business stability and consistent profit maximization. To achieve these, the prospective fish farmers must endure to embark on a thorough "Project Life-Cycles" study through a certified and experienced Aqua Project Manager Personnel. The project life-cycles included:

♥ Feasibility - project formulation, feasibility studies, strategy design and approval. A go/no-go decision is made at the end of this phase.

♥ Planning and Design - base design, cost and schedule, terms and conditions, environmental impact assessment, and detailed planning. Major sub-contracts are let at the end of this phase.

♥ Construction - manufacturing (ponds, tanks, hatchery house, staff quarters, road), delivery, civil works, installation and testing. The facility is substantially complete at the of this phase.

♥ Turnover and Start-up - final testing and maintenance. The facility is in full operation at the end of this phase.

♥♥ Guide: PMBok 2000 edition.

The popularity of fish farming has gone viral on the Internet and the basis for each stage of production has been detailed in books and many audio-visual platforms.
It is evident that theoretical ideas is not enough, as fish farming tends not to have a strict rules in terms of commercial production and marketing strategies.

From experience, it is not enough to bank upon a book or a proceedings gathered at a seminar as what is applicable to Farm A may not be applicable to Farm B or C. However, it is advisable to read as many books as possible i.e. books that are written by scholars of fish farmers in your locality, and attends practical session on the specific area of interest.

Information gathered from books helps broaden your scope and ideas, while hands on practical gives you a total or partial insight on the basic fundamental rules to a successful fish farming. Hands on practical also enable the familiarity with the basic application of materials and steps involved in the successful venture of the business.

Fish farming requires full attention, energy, vitality,  and ardent passion. It involves taking calculated risk; The fear of risk diminishes with improved knowledge, and knowledge dispels fear. Abib Olamitoye. In talking about risk, Ear Nightingale said: Where there is danger, there lurks opportunity; wherever there is opportunity, there lurks danger. The two are inseparable, they go together and what you see is what you get.

All business involves risks, the three keys to successful fish farming is desire, decision and determination which goes well along with passion, skills and capital to actualize business stability and continual profit maximization.

Effective fish production and marketing requires adequate knowledge of the marketing mix which includes price, product, promotion, place. Marketing is simplistically defined as ‘putting the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time. Though, the use of a marketing mix is an excellent way to help ensure that ‘putting the right product in the right place,…’ will happen. The marketing mix is a crucial tool to help understand what the product or service can offer and how to plan for a successful product offering .

Prospective fish farmers should ensure to undergo a thorough survey on the following:

♥ Product: this is either a tangible good or an intangible service that is seem to meet a specific customer need or demand. This is regarded as the fish products such as live fresh, smoked, e.t.c.

♥ Price: covers the actual amount the end user is expected to pay for a product. How a product is priced will directly affect how it sells. This is linked to what the perceived value of the product is to the customer rather than an objective costing of the product on offer.

♥ Promotion: the marketing communication, strategies and techniques. As part of the marketing mix; promotion includes all activities that involve communicating such as advertisement with the customer about the product and its benefits and feature.

♥ Place: place or placement has to do
with how the product will be provided to the customer. Distribution is a key element of placement. The placement strategy will help assess what channel is the most suited to a product.

♥♥ Guide: Cleverism: 4 P's of Marketing Mix

■ LET'S GET STARTED!

What do you want to do?

There a lot of potentials attached to fish farming, you do not necessarily have to own a fish farm before you can joined the team. You do not necessarily have to owned millions before you can do something. There are other fields that you can fit in perfectly, these other areas will be discussed fully in the next episode.

But here are some important questions to ask before embarking on Catfish farming business in Nigeria:

♥ How much capital can I afford to start the business? (Capital would determine your starting scale – Small Scale or Large Scale.)

♥ How many Catfish farmers are in my vicinity? (Knowing this would inevitably help you attach yourself for practical training, if you want, and would also help you determine the competition in your farm area.)

♥ What is the demand for Catfish in my area? Public acceptability must be put in consideration: besides demand is not equal everywhere.

♥ Can I have the time to oversee the farm or do I need to employ a fish farmer? (You need to know for proper budgeting.)

♥ What is Catfish farming’s ROI (Return on Investment.)

These questions must be answered in good faith to help you get started.
As a newbie you must have in mind to have a strong persuasive character towards your new line of business.

Etiquette Of A Fish Farmer:

Fish farming is all about: Passion, Ideas and Capital.

♥ The Passion - keeps you going even when it seems you are going all wrong. As a beginner, you will definitely have some shortcomings. At first do it for love, start small by rearing your fish as a pet before venturing into larger scale. This will give you insight on fish behaviours as well as how the fish relates with its aquatic environment, foods and environmental pollution.

♥ The Ideas - keeps you well informed. To survived in the biz you must get wide ideas and experience, visit nearby farms, meet experts, and consults the professionals. If possible make a quick market survey, to know about price of fresh and smoked fish of all size.

♥ Capital - is the main thing, the source must be constant and adequate. Fish farming is not for the 'micer', the more you spend, the more you maximize profit. But in some situations, the less you spend the more u marginalized profit with other competitors. But this is with a great skills and ideas, by improvising a lot of things and cutting cost by venturing into un-convectional natural foods.

In leiu of these - the more ideas, innovative, and innitiatives, the less you spend and the more you maximize profit and vice versa.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Here is a video clip on small scale catfish farming; pls download and share.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_
fbid=1334920729953917&id=810640255715303

Regards! Thanks for reading.

°°TO BE CONTINUED°°