It is obvious that the new business trend that everyone wants to venture into is poultry business, and one of the bad traits that Nigerians exhibit is that once a particular business is booming everybody want to venture into it. I am writing this article based on my own personal experience, during my early days of hustling to gather up to invest into poultry business, I worked with some poultry companies around my area (rural) noticing their downfall and still they didn’t learn their lesson. In this article I will unveiling the lesson learnt from the poultry companies that I worked for which can help you reading this post on navigating the challenges of poultry farming in rural Nigeria and best possible solutions.
Find market before investing
Local Wonders: Navigating the Challenges of Poultry Farming in Rural Nigeria
The goal of every farmer is to reap the fruits of his hard labor but the reverse is the case. Most farmers really don’t embark on market research before investing their life savings into the business. I always tell most of my students that poultry business is a gamble you can win if you play it with sense and not too greedy and loss if you are greedy. Apply to poultry business, if you want to win as a farmer you need to find market before investing your money into it, because if failed to do that, it comes with lots of consequences. One of the consequence you will face if you failed to market for your poultry items, is that you and I know poultry business output are all perishable products which means products you cannot keep for long, if your investment haven’t grow to the stage you can afford refrigerator in order to store your birds if there’s a need. So put it at the back of your mind that you if you want to excel in poultry farming you must or let ma say it’s compulsory for you to find reliable and stable markets for your farm output in order not to loose your investment and to also stay relevant in the business.
Don’t rely on middlemen
Local Wonders: Navigating the Challenges of Poultry Farming in Rural Nigeria
Mehnnnn I have to comment, this almost ruined me completely, I can still remember vividly during my struggling days, middlemen are greedy, callous set of people. Don’t get me wrong I didn’t say there’s no good people among them but believe me ninety nine percent of them worth that qualification above. If you’re about to start or just starting your poultry business and during your market research you’re considering middlemen as a good source of marketing promoters, please I beg you in the name of GOD, don’t make that mistake if you need your investment with profits. Most of these middlemen all what they are good at is to reap farmers and sell it with high price tags. If middlemen is your last option to sell your market to I will advise you to go to market and sell it yourself, though it will tough and hard but believe me it all worth it at the end.
Create your own market
Local Wonders: Navigating the Challenges of Poultry Farming in Rural Nigeria
Poultry farming is a lucrative business that if you a smart and intelligent person you will always have market for your product. Firstly the best skill to exhibit as a poultry farmer is Marketing, money is everywhere. If you look beside you money is there, and the people I’m referring to here is people (People equals money) if you can manage them well, you will clear your stock in no time. How can you go by this, you need to socialize, don’t me mute, tell people you have birds you want to sell off, one beautiful thing about poultry farming is that you can sell off of birds at any stage. You can sell off your birds at any weeks of age, at lest you can start selling at two weeks (if majorly you want to go into brood and sell) people will buy them. You can as well sell to eateries which you sell at six to seven weeks and you raise the chicks to fill table size which sell majorly at eve period. What I am trying to make you understand is that create market for yourself get connections of people and convince them to buy your chicks.
Decide your faith
Local Wonders: Navigating the Challenges of Poultry Farming in Rural Nigeria
Knows what work for you, don’t look into someone else’s business. What work for Mr A might not work for Mr B. You don’t need to over stress or force yourself on things that aren’t working for you, for example your friend might be into pullet (layers) birds and his investment is paying up, don’t venture into it just because you are seeing his results. And again don’t be jumping all around, there’re tons of birds in which you can rear in as much you market them. Decide your faith on a particular poultry birds you want to venture into which will help you in compiling your customer lists.
Network with other farmers
Local Wonders: Navigating the Challenges of Poultry Farming in Rural Nigeria
In this business you can never stand alone, there’s this popular adage that says and I quote “if you want to go fast in life go alone and if you want to far go together” don’t underestimate the power of networking. The advantage that’s attached to networking with other farmers is that you will be abreast of new trends in the business, contacts gain, learning more from people that knows more than you and to mention few. You gain nothing when you didn’t network with farmers around you but you will gain a lot when you network with farmers within your hemisphere.
Have extra savings
Local Wonders: Navigating the Challenges of Poultry Farming in Rural Nigeria
Farming is investing and when you’re investing you are inputting your money which can’t be return immediately. The money running the business is for a particular time right? Which serve as a capital so if the answer is Yes you will need to have extra savings in order to tackle any shortcomings that’s ready to destroy your business. Meaning while running a poultry business you need to have another source of income that will be use in your daily activities, running of family etc. without this extra savings I am afraid that it will be very hard for you to be successful i this line of business.
Lastly I have listed specific challenges faced by poultry farmers in rural Nigeria and provide practical solutions. With this efforts of mine and been implemented I assure you success will be yours in this line of business. I hope for your comments and observations and you can as well add yours too, no one is an island of knowledge.
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