Agripreneur assures on delivering value in staple, cash crops

Mama Hannah’s Limited, a relatively young player in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, has assured that in it is committed to delivering value in staple and cash crops.

The agric entrepreneur notes that despite infrastructural challenges and limitation to credit facilities, this sector remains the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, employing a significant portion of the population and contributing substantially to the nation’s GDP.

The company believes that time has come when players in the sector must see agriculture beyond all that the land and nature are able to give, but rather to see what they can make of what has been given to them freely

Olabode Fayemiro, Mamah Hannah’s Founder/CEO, notes that the days have gone when one would picture farmers and agripreneurs as old, communal, waiting for rain and hoping the year will bring a bumper harvest good enough to pay debts, sustain families and preserve enough seedlings for the next season.

“Rethink that image and picture youths, agile and adaptable, using every tool and leverage that technological advancement has made available to them and navigating all these against the socio-economic challenges in their country, and you will have a more accurate picture.

Visualise them with their overalls, boots and see them with their pitch decks and data sheets, their feasibility studies and business plans. They have built strong ties with the land and community and have far-reaching vision for the global brand,” he said in a statement at the weekend.

He reasoned that having acquired about 40 hectares of land with plans for more, making the shift is more than mere talk for the company that is working towards building at key points of the value chain.

“This becomes even more expedient given the current economic landscape of Nigeria, in which agriculture stands out as a compelling investment choice for several reasons,” he said.

“For investors looking to make the leap from hitherto traditional asset classes, it really doesn’t get any more traditional than agriculture which is arguably the first ever and original investment class which birthed others,” he added

He cited a 2022 Statista report which shows the agricultural sector as responsible for a 37.9 percent of the employable population while contributing almost a quarter of Nigeria’s GDP year-on-year for the last decade.

A Jobberman publication of the same year put the number at over 23 million Nigerians employed across different points of the sector.

Read also: Celebrate agripreneurs to attract more youths, experts tell FG

This resilience, sheer width and depth native to agriculture and its ancillary industries is key among the most astounding attributes of this sector.

Fayemiro says that investment in agriculture either directly or in companies such as Mama Hannah’s is poised to be the next big thing for both individual and institutional investors with a taste for something other than the usual.

This opportunity goes beyond meeting domestic consumption needs but also positions the company and Nigeria by extension as an exporter of agricultural products, thereby contributing positively to the country’s trade balance.

Very much unlike the oil boom and the technology boom, this sector thrives and outstrips others by its self-renewing quality. Many are only able to appreciate the value of lands when structures are built on them and are quick to dismiss the very thing on which they are built.

While Mama Hannah’s does look forward to a more favorable business clime in form of government initiatives and policies aimed at supporting agriculture, such as funding schemes, subsidies, and infrastructure development, it wastes no time as it takes the bull by the horns, creating its own luck, bootstrapping thus far as it beckons on investors to journey with them.

It is always Day One at the company as they are constantly on the lookout for advancements in technology and global best practices in agriculture that enhance productivity and efficiency in farming operations.

At Day One, we are ever learning, iterating, innovating via mechanization, irrigation systems, and technology, creating real value and driving profitability for investors while promoting sustainable agricultural practices.