10 million naira international grant for serving corps members through SAED department

      

The Farmers for the Future (F4F) Grant is an Agricultural Entrepreneurship grant designed to support young people with viable Agri-Business with equity-free capital and other associated support they may require to scale their businesses.

The project is an initiative developed and sponsored by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) in partnership with NYSC and implemented by Fate Foundation. It is targeted at currently serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members – as part of BATNF’s drive to encourage and support the youth in sustainable agriculture.

Click here to apply https://f4f.wealthishere.org

FORMS OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

Agriculture was the mainstream of Nigeria economy before oil was discovered. Till date, the impact agriculture has on our economy can never be underestimated/underrated. Majority of Nigeria populace reside at the rural areas,some of those who reside in urban areas also practice Agriculture in one way or the other either for personal use or commercial purpose. I have a friend who abandoned NYSC because agricultural business was paying him judiciously, he could not afford to abandon agriculture for the period of one year. there is vast opportunities in Agri-business. Listed below are forms of agricultural activities practice in Nigeria.

1.       Cultivation and growing of crops

This is the production of varieties of crops either for food (food crops) or for cash (cash crops) that are useful for man and animals. Cassava, coffee, ginger, garlic,  onions, groundnut, rice etc are example of crops produced in Nigeria. These crops are very marketable.

Note; they are some  business opportunities here, you can grow the crop by yourself and sell to those who need them, you can buy from the farmers and sell to industries, individual and household that need them, you can open a firm and buy the raw materials from the farmers. These crops can be used to produce varieties of thing………………

2.       Rearing of livestock

Under this category, farm animals such as pigs, cows, sheep, goat, poultry birds etc are kept either for meat/egg, reproduction: giving birth to younger ones, and/or industrial used: sheep skin, bird feathers are used in fabric/textile industry to produce pillow, clothe etc.

Note; they are vast business opportunities here as well. You can keep any of them and supply industries with raw materials, you can sell to individual, you can keep them for reproduction purpose and sell their younger ones to those that want to keep livestock as well.

3.       Fishery

Some selected species of fish such as cat fish, cray fish, ice fish etc are scientifically reared in an enclosed body of water like ponds, lakes, tanks, streams, swamps etc.

4.       Horticulture

It is the study and practice of growing rooted crops such as oranges, mangoes, cashew. This practice is known as pomology. Vegetable such as tomatoes, okra, cucumber, garden egg, lettuce, cabbage pumpkin(ogwu), flowers and ornamental plants such as hibiscus, rose flowers, pride of Barbados etc. horticulture is one of the hidden hot skills in Nigeria people barely know about. If you study the skill and know how to do it, they are lot of business opportunities you could harness, both government, individuals, organizations will give you contracts to beautify their sorroundings, and plat crops for them on their farms(plantaion)…

5.       Bee keeping

The practice of growing bees is known as apiculture. Bees are kept to collect honey or bee wax. Honey is used in medical/pharmaceutical industries, cosmetic industry, while bee wax is used to make polish, candleetc.

6.       Snail rearing

 

 

 

With all the inf4omation and knowleges shared above, you can see that they are vasts oopronities in agri business. You must noy handle hoes, cutlass, by yourself to secure a space in agriculture. Just develop interest in any of the activities, learn the skill necessary. Gather enough information and venture into it depending on your available resoureces( money, material, time etc).

 

LIST OF CROPS AVAILABLE IN NIGERIA, THEIR INDUSTRIAL USES AND FINISHED PRODUCTS

Crops are grown for purpose of man’s use. All the foods we eat, the cloths we wear and the houses we stay are products of agriculture.

Listed below are some of the industries under agricultural sector in Nigeria, the raw materials used in those industries and their finished products as well

1.       Rubber and plastic industry

This industry uses rubber latex as the basic raw material. Rubber is produced in South South and South East Nigeria.( Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Abia, Ogun and Delta.

The finished product gotten from rubber latex includes Tube, Tyre, Ropes, Balls, Rubbers, Platic Buckets, Plates, Spoons,Water Tanks, Footwears etc

 

2.       Paper industry

The basic raw  material used in this industry is pulpwood. Pulpwood is gotten from timber. Timber can be found widely in rain forest zone( south south, south east, south west and some part of north central where rain fall is high).

The finished product gotten from pulpwood includes Books, News prints, Envelops, Cartons, Tissue Roles, Drawing Pencil etc.

3.       Starch industry

The basic raw material that serves this industry is cassava. The finished products includes Starch, Chalk and Gums.

4.       Beverage

The raw materials that serve this industry includes Cocoa, Coffee, Tea, Fruits( Mangoes, Cashews, Papaw. The finished products includes Juice, Chocolates, Juice extracts

5.       Construction

Wood(timber) is the basic raw material used in this industry, the finished products includes household furniture, roofing material, Plank, Plywood, Ceiling etc

6.       Cosmetic industry

The raw materials used in this industry includes Palm oil, Eggs, Pawpaw, Carrot, Aloe-Vera, Banana etc. finished products includes creams, soaps, margarine, detergent, makeup etc.

7.       Dye industry

The raw material that serves this industry is kola nut. The finished products gotten from kola nut is dye

8.       Tobacco industry

Tobacco leaves is the basic raw material used in this industry, it can be found in large quantities in Sokoto, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun,. The finished product are snuffs, cigarette/shisha

9.       Sugar industry

Sugarcane is the basic raw material that serves this industry, sugarcane is grown in Adamawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina. The finished product gotten from Sugarcane includes sugar and syrup.

10.   Gum

Gum tree is the raw material used in this industry, the crop is grown in northern states.The finished products.   Food industry are chewing gum, beer clouding agent, food stabilizers, emulsifier

11.   Ornamental and decoration

12.   Some crops such as pride of Barbados, rose flower, Christmas tree etc are used to decorate our surroundings.

13.   Medical/pharmaceutical industry

Some crops such as Neem, Moringa, Ginger, Garlic and Bitter kola etc have healing properties are they re used in pharmaceutical industry to produce drugs.

14 Food Industry

This industry is very wide as man and livestock consumed varieties of food in different forms. I would like to categorize the industry into the following sub sector;

·         Feed mill/flour mill

In this industry, livestock feeds such as chicken feeds, fish feeds, etc are produced, human feeds such as flours, cakes etc are also produced. Example of raw materials used includes maize, wheat, millet, corn etc.

·         Oil industry

The basic raw materials used in this sub sector include palm fruits, Soya beans, fish, cotton seed, groundnuts to produce palm oil, groundnut oil, soya oil etc

·         Spices and seasonings

The raw materials used in this industry are Garlic. Ginger, locus beans, lemon etc.  The finished product from this raw materials includes flavors,  spices and seasonings such as curry, onga, magi etc