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P.J. Okocha has identified Nigeria's most important agricultural sector to have the most impact
"Come, I'll show you what a billion dollar looks like," said PJ Okocha , opening the door of a small "These thousand plants can make three million seeds," he says, with a broad smile.
At only 34, Peter Okocha Junior – also known as PJ,
Okocha took his first steps in the transport and logistics sector of his family, then decided to forge his own path .
He identified Nigeria's agricultural sector as a huge potential. Today, he is a pioneer in hydroponics.
"I always knew that I wanted to invest in agriculture but I did not know exactly what I wanted to do," he told AFP
. I got in touch with him and I told him, "Hey, brother, let's change the world together."
In a few months, their company PS Nutrac was born
Two years later, tens of thousands yam plants grow without soil, suspended in water in special greenhouses, advanced agricultural technique rarely seen in developing countries. ] One afternoon in June, PS Nutrac's young employees formed a group of old local farmers on a new organic yam variety
Farming communities were disembowelled by an exodus of youngsters for big cities make a living. Chief Awufe Ademola, who is in his sixties and owns three hectares (3.2 hectares) of land
In rows in front of him, the old farmers were sitting with curved backs and calloused hands
"With the 39, the average age of Africans.A farmer who flies just above 60 years old, it is imperative for the new generation to immerse themselves in agriculture, "said Okocha.
"Nobody wants to do the conventional stance under the hot sun, sweat and toil that comes from it, so to combine it with data, technology and automation, it makes it more attractive."
Food Challenge
Nigeria, home to more than 180 million people, is under pressure to produce more food. By 2050, it is expected to become the third most populous country in the world.
After the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the 1950s, Nigeria's prosperous agricultural sector experienced a steep decline as successive leaders and investors shifted completely from one direction to another. 19659004] Decades have passed and with the collapse of the rail network, agricultural goods now have to be trucked on crumbling roads.
There are not enough storage sheds; those that exist are not generally refrigerated;
This means that huge quantities of products are wasted in a country so fertile that it can produce everything from cashew avocados to maize.
For example, about four million tons of citrus fruit are produced each year, according to figures from the United States Department of Agriculture for 2009.
But up to 60 percent One hundred are wasted before reaching end consumers in urban centers.
Meanwhile, Nigeria imports $ 315 million "Opportunities in agriculture outshine the imagination," said Buffy Okeke-Ojiudu, proud owner of a planting plantation. palm oil of 200 hectares (495 acres) in the south-east of the country. 19659004] "The future billionaires in Nigeria will be people investing in agriculture, technology and renewable energy, sectors that can create jobs, not like the oil sector," said the 34-year-old Nigerian prime minister. Agricu
Starting Scratch
However, it's not easy to make farming profitable
The main problem for companies is the Access to bank loans, which attract high rates. Okeke-Ojiudu said: "Access to finance is a big problem," Okeke-Ojiudu added, adding that banks are asking for large amounts of collateral and charging double-digit interest rates for banks. agricultural enterprises.
"Today, people investing in this sector are already rich, already connected."
Okeke-Ojiudu was educated in the United States and England. Seyi Oyenuga also spent most of his life between Chicago and Washington before coming to his father's homeland
three years ago, he changed his life in the construction industry to settle in Oyo. , southwest of Nigeria. At four hours drive from Okocha farm, women pound dried cassava along the road
Almost all farms surrounding sleepy villages were abandoned.
Revival of Agriculture
But an agricultural revival takes place at Atman Farm in Oyenuga, where he is busy repairing tractors for plow the cassava fields.
"he says, wearing a John Deere cap, a blue plaid shirt and a keffiyeh around his neck.
Oyenuga learned everything from scratch, including how to negotiate with local leaders to acquire title deeds, teach employees the metric system and how to use tractors.
"We learned the hard way," he says, speaking under a ruthless sun after repairing the tractors side by side with his staff.
This year, he hopes to plant cassava on 400 hectares, five times the area of his first harvest last year.
This is only the beginning. In the end, he wants to grow 2,000 hectares in 10 years.
"It's really exciting, I've been able to do things that I never imagined or thought possible," he added.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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