Speaking with Mr.Ganiyu Olatubosun Akanbi, the managing director of Bosedgi Farms, currently located at Oke-Aro at Matogun, Ogun State one gets to appreciate not only his vast knowledge of Animal Science for which he has a B.Sc degree (University of Benin, 1994) but his patriotic fervour to see the best happening in his country, Nigeria.
Before his undergraduate days, he had gained relevant knowledge at the Institute of Agriculture and Research Training that later became part of Obafemi Awolowo University between 1986 and 1988. Subsequently, during his national youth service, he worked in a feed mill under the Ministry of Agriculture, Abeokuta. He was certainly in his elements on what it takes to run a successful poultry farm. Excerpts.
How did the inspiration come for you to go into poultry farming?
I derived the inspiration from the feed mill where I worked. My boss then, called Mr. Gbenga Odusote had told me bluntly that there were no jobs available in the country for fresh graduates.That I should start with a few chickens. I heeded his piece of advice. I gathered 20 cockerels and brought them to Lagos. I brought in the feeds from our feed mill as compounded by me. Later, as the chickens matured, it dawned on me that my boss was right; that jobs are indeed scarce in the country. That was after combing between five to ten companies without any job offer.
I remember being arrested by the police at Ogba when I was carrying the chickens to my sister who was working at WEMA Bank. It was because when they asked me how much each was worth I said it was N300. They said I must have stolen them because they were too cheap! But eventually, they let me off after I convinced them that the Head of the Police Inspectorate Division bought three from me. I took some to WEMA Bank. After selling all of them I was able to raise N6,000. I’m talking about the year 1995.
How were you able to find your feet considering the small number of chickens you started with?
What happened was that coincidentally my father retired that year.I talked him into partnership on an equity basis. He was to provide me with the money while I gave the knowledge. With the money I raised from members of the family I got off with 50 chickens. He added another 50 making 100 in addition to their cages. We had a ratio of 30 percent going to me and 70 percent for him. However, I got to realize that consultancy itself brings in more money because many people wanted to go into poultry farming but did not have the technical capacity. There I was, I got started as a fresh graduate with all the intellectual resources. So, little by little I became well known to some notable people in the society. I was staying at Ogba, Lagos, then using the backyard of my father’s house.
What were the challenges as at that time?
Funding was the challenge then. It was after my wedding in 2001 and after having my first child that I realized that I must increase the stock of the chicken if I must survive. My wife had just finished her internship as a pharmacist. So, I had business, family and personal challenges. I needed more fund. I had 450 birds. What assisted me again was my consultancy services.
I approached a bank to take a loan and that was the first time the secret of the so-called government’s support to the Agric sector became known to me. I approached First Bank for an agric loan of just N250,000 and they were asking me to bring a share certificate of N600,000 as collateral or a building worth N1 million with the Cof O. I was really disturbed.
Subsequently, I went to their credit office at Iganmu and the woman in charge said that even after satisfying these conditions I would get only N200,000. I told her about the agric guarantee scheme; that I could use my certificate and the farm that I will lease to the bank in equity partnership but she told me that I would be expected to start paying back the loan after three months.
I told her that as an agric farmer I did not expect any yield until after eight months and that would be stable after one year. I also explained that I had to raise the chickens five-and-a-half months when they start laying eggs to make a differential but she told me to go by their terms.
How have you survived so far?
I have had support from my family, especially my wife. We had a bit of turn around and we had to make a division. One was to supply hotels with broiler meat and the other was to specialize in egg production.
What is your grouse with the way poultry farming is being handled in the country now?
This is the only country in this part of the world that you find people still using battery cages in egg laying. Even then they are expensive, between 150,000 and N170,000- to house 70 birds. Most of these are obtained from FACO. To fabricate locally would cost N100,000 for 80 birds. Yet, for a family of four, you need not less than 7,500 birds costing well over N1.5 million.
What should a government be doing to re-position agriculture?
There must be concrete agric development plan for farmers for five years each. That should involve the local farmers, experts, soil scientists, agronomists, animal scientists and financial experts on agriculture, how to really go about it to develop manpower.
There should be strict legislation against anyone flouting the existing rules because agriculture is supposed to be the seed to make the country self-sufficient. Israel, Malaysia, Singapore and in fact, the whole of Asia developed through agriculture. Even Philippines’ economy is currently sprouting based on agriculture. There should be easy accessibility to funds for agricultural development. More premium should be placed on developing co-operative societies, not the ones we have that some people have turned into avenues for stealing other people’s money.
There should be more participation of local governments on agriculture in their localities. Also, various Agric organizations should be strengthened to benefit the rural, small-scale farmers and not left in the hands of moneybags.
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