#AgriBiz4Dummies - Vol. 1 GOING BACK TO THE ROOTS

 Technology required to fabricate efficient farm tools

Crude oil is the new enemy of the planet. Whether it is through its use or by its trade every country is looking for a way to do without it.Technology and Agriculture are the two industries that can profitably fill the economic gap that will be created if oil dependent countries diversify.  

Agriculture is about food cultivation and everything that is directly or indirectly related to it. Agribusiness is the commercialization of agriculture especially using technology.

My interest in Agribusiness emanates from my business of retailing fresh farm produce on my company's website www.easyshopeasycook.com . Our need for traceability, freshness, quality and cost reduction lead us to backward integration; which is a business model whereby a company takes direct control of how its products are supplied. In our own case we need to have direct control or influence in the farms that supply our company in order to trace the produce, eliminate adulteration, enforce food safety policies, improve profit margins and make our company more competitive.

We need more local research Institutes to improve our seeds

The more I got involved in the process the more I realized I knew very little about it. I got involved with some farm produce associations and I found out we all know so little hence the dearth our country is in. So this series is for me to learn about the business of agriculture, share with others and learn from the feedback I receive from everyone.

I have called it #AgriBiz4Dummies because I plan to be as simple as possible to remove the complication hindering people from getting involved to help build the industry. 

The business of Agrochemicals

Agribusiness includes agrochemicals, breeding, crop production, distribution, farm machinery, processing, seed supply, marketing, retail sales as well as the education and technology behind all these. My interest is not really in the academic but the practical things being done around the world in this sector. I will highlight what Nigeria and Africa are doing and what more we must do to meet up and possibly dominate this sector globally.

Greenhouse technology and materials

China has been equated to Manufacturing; I strongly believe Agribusiness is ours to take. Africa should be the food basket of the world because the land, the climate and the people are available here, all we need now is the technology and will to back it up. 

I hope to hear from you here or tweet me @lagosshopping, it becomes more interesting that way.

Cheers.

    

So called sorted fresh tomatoes and other ugly market practices.

There is an urgent need to enforce basic food safety initiatives in our market place. We cannot continue to be cheated by market agents and middle men. They are so powerful that it is difficult to influence their method of operation in Mile 12 market especially.

Fresh produce come in from various parts of the Nigeria in rafia baskets. This means by the time they get to the market half are rotten and broken because of the mode of transport. Sometimes you find that some farm workers slept on the produce all through the ride from the farm. There are no standard baskets or standard weights. The produce are claimed to be both sorted and unsorted, to me there is hardly a difference in the two categories.Whichever you decide to buy you will still have to sort out yourself before use.

If you buy the sorted tomatoes I guarantee you about 30% will be either broken or rotten. Imagine what you will find in the unsorted basket. This is very very frustrating for me as a retailer. It is difficult to plan, you are not sure of the quality you can get any day and also the weight is not fixed as baskets can be changed at will. You are not even sure of source of the produce as there is no form of traceability tag available. We shop blind daily. The worst thing is the awful smell you get in the market. Fresh produce are supposed to smell fresh but not our own.... very nauseating I tell you.

That is why at Easyshop we have decided to partner with the farmers directly. This way we are sure of the origin of the produce, the method of farming, the size of the basket and most importantly the quality to be supplied to our office. It also helps us to control our prices.

'Sorted' Tomatoes directly from the market

Middle contents of the 'Sorted' basket of tomatoes

Bottom of the basket of 'sorted' tomatoes

Some broken tomatoes in the 'sorted' basket of tomatoes

At Mile 12, price is determined by various forces even the mood of the men in charge. The association can decide to fix a price based on demand or political situation at the moment and this will destabilize our operations in the office. Sometimes the agents will decide not to sell the fresh produce on the truck because the old stock is still on ground even if the old stock is obviously rotten. Then you have a case of the traders stuffing the rotten lot at the base of the basket and then the fresh ones on top. All sort of ugly practice that cannot be explained.

If the market is accessible and car park is sufficient I doubt they will have a problem of selling fresh produce in record time. But the market agents themselves have blocked the car parks with stalls and frustrated the very customers they crave.Someone needs to tell them a market place does not need to be dirty or cramped to be vibrant. Must we accommodate all manners of traders? If you cannot adhere to the rules of the market place why should we drop our standards? Whose job is it to make sure the fresh produce brought in are fresh and not rotten farm produce that are forced into our hands?

Is this the job of LGA's or State govt or even Federal? We are throwing away a lot of money and food in the midst of starving people. We are also allowing ugly market practices that are harming our health and economy.

Government is spending a lot of money to help farmers and increase farm produce; there is more to farming than just growing crops and fertilizer. Without proper food safety practice enforced in the supply chain the impact will not be felt by the final consumer. What use is farming, if you cannot sell your produce.

THE RISING PRICE OF TOMATOES – IT’S THE GOLD SEASON

Fresh ripe tomatoes

“Nigeria is one of the largest consumer of tomato in the world” that has been said by various analyst world over. I don’t need an analyst to tell me that because I know that in Nigeria we eat just about everything with tomato. All our stews, soups and sauces in every corner of Nigeria includes tomato.

 We use tomatoes for salads, to fry omelettes, sandwiches and various other dishes. If you are like my husband or my father, you also eat tomato raw (yuk) like you eat an apple or any fruit.

Tomatoes can be cultivated anywhere across Nigeria, and this is because our tropical condition is favourable to the survival of tomatoes. There are many varieties of tomato but the greater part of tomato production in Nigeria is undertaken in the North of the country. Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Plateau and Bauchi states. Although the Southern states also grow commercial quantity the variety grown is not as dry or large as that of the North.

Tomatoes as sold in Mile 12 Market, Lagos

In Lagos, most of our tomatoes and other fresh farm produce are supplied by the North. All the items are transported by road in cane baskets stacked on each other, by the time the produce gets to the market half of it is rotten.

From the farm an average basket can cost about N300 by the time it gets to Mile 12 market it can sell from about N3000 to N20,000 depending on the season and that includes the rotten, ungraded pieces.

Early this year, a basket of tomato in Lagos was sold for about N3,000; today in July we bought the same basket for N15,000. Last week it was N20,000.

There are two major reasons for the increase in price, 1. The season, 2. The unrest in the North.

Regardless of these reasons, we need to find a way to preserve our tomatoes. It is ridiculous to buy a basket of tomato about 40kg for N3000 then 6 months later that same tomato is sold for N20,000. When I know that two thirds of the tomatoes from the farm go to waste because of poor standards of harvesting, storage, transportation and preservation.

Nigeria produces 1.5 million tons of tomatoes annually of which about 900,000 tons rot, Agriculture Minister Akinwunmi Adesina said at a June 13 presentation in the capital, Abuja in 2013.

Nigeria is one of the biggest importers of tomato paste. We import tomato paste from Europe, Canada and China. Yet our own tomato belt is filled with rotten tomatoes. Ludicrous!

Imported Canned Tomatoes - Soon to be produced in Nigeria

In 2013, the Central Bank and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, teamed up to establish a $25 million tomato-paste factory in Kano. The intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which commissioned a study to show that processing local tomatoes is cheaper than importing paste from China, is part of the government’s drive to cut annual food imports of more than $10 billion. 

I am happy with this huge investment in tomato preservation in Nigeria but my worry is if the factory will cater to local consumption or exports. The factory has a capacity of about 400,000 tonnes of tomato-paste annually for a market demand of 900,000 tonnes annually.

In another news, I read that Thomas Canning of Maidstone, Ontario Canada, has signed a $25-million tomato product deal with a Nigerian company, Festrut Group. The tomatoes will be grown in Leamington, Ontario, the tomato capital of Canada, and canned in nearby Maidstone, before being shipped overseas to Nigeria. 

So as one rich man is helping local farmers preserve, maximize their profit and also feed Nigerians, another rich man is spending the same amount of money to help foreign farmers, save their jobs and feed Nigerians in the process. ummm Issokay… 

I’m in support of preserving local produce and drastically reducing price of local fresh farm produce in the market place. At a period like this when the price of tomato is like that of gold, my retail customers prefer imported canned whole tomatoes. The wholesale customers like Hotels, Restaurants and Eateries have no choice but to buy the fresh tomatoes but this drastically cuts into their profit as they can’t be expected to change their selling prices seasonally.

Diced Bottled Tomatoes - Another form of preservation

It is very sad because I know that if Nigerians can preserve the tomatoes during the season when it is cheap either canned whole or paste we would drop our domestic consumption price by more than half and that applies to many of our fresh foods especially during off season. This will also reduce our dependence on imports. We can do this successfully without resulting in banning. (I do not like banning of any sort, I’d rather we improve our local practices to meet up with our foreign competitors).

Investing in various fresh food preservation methods is a good way to help everyone save money; it is also a good way to help our local farmers maximize their profit and reduce their farm waste. In a country where the poor are over 70% of the population this has to be number one on any transformation agenda.

Pots, Pans and my love for party Jollof Rice

Jollof Rice

I grew up in a traditional Nigerian home where all the pots and pans in the kitchen are silver. Our pots are either aluminium, stainless steel or cast iron. The cast iron cauldrons are mainly used for parties or when you want to cook in large quantity in the backyard. The cast iron cauldron is responsible for the famous taste we get when we cook party Jollof rice with firewood. Somehow I can’t seem to achieve the party Jollof rice taste in other pots except I cook it in a large cauldron over a firewood at the backyard. As I’m typing this, I am salivating….. LOL.

Enamel Cast Iron - Expensive and Fancy

How does the type of cooking pot we use affect the food we cook in them? A question I recently asked myself due to my love for party Jollof rice. Whenever I want to change my pots, price is a consideration. But I’m also influenced by the colour, or that fancy little glass lid that allows you to see inside when you are cooking. Sometimes it’s the free utensils that come with the purchase or the fact that it is non-stick and I do not have to worry about my food burning or sticking to the pot. Hardly have I really considered the material it is constructed from until recently.   

My cast iron cauldron is meant to last for my life time and later generation so replacing it is not an issue. In fact one of my cauldrons was given to me by my mother;  actually I took it from her ……smiles.  

So on this day as I was researching online I came across an article on how the material used for the cooking pot affects the food we cook and how different dishes require different cooking pots etc.  So I did further interesting research on this to educate myself and thought I should share with my readers.

Copper Pots and Pans.

I found out that each material works differently, some cookware is better for heat conduction than others. Certain metals react with acidic foods, so you wouldn't want to cook a tomato sauce in them. Other pots and pans are very durable and easy to care for.

Aluminium Pots - Low priced, light weight and durable

Copper pot reacts with acidic food but it is excellent for any type of dish where you need precision heat control. It responds well to changes in the heat intensity, so you can go from rapid boil to simmer quite quickly. Modern-day copper cookware is lined with stainless-steel for the added benefit of durability and ease of cleaning. Copper is very expensive, must be hand-washed, and needs regular polishing to maintain its gleam. No wonder it is not common.

Aluminium and anodized aluminium pots are very common in Nigeria. They are fire resistant and good conductor of heat. Spending a long length of time over fire is not an issue for aluminium. Pots will also heat faster so food preparation will finish sooner. They are certainly safe to use in the kitchen as this material does not react with acidic food. One does not have to worry that it would affect the flavour of your cooked dishes.  Aluminium is lightweight, strong, conducts heat well, and is relatively inexpensive.

Cast Iron Cauldron - No. 1 on Jollof Rice Recipe List

Cast-iron cookware (e.g. Cauldrons) has been around for hundreds of years and there are many reasons as to why it's still used even today -- the material is durable and offers great heat conductivity and retention. With proper care and use, cast-iron cookware can last nearly forever. Cast iron reacts with acidic sauces and can rust if not properly cleaned and seasoned. They are very heavy, which can be a drawback and imparts some iron onto foods (but isn't dangerous). That iron is partly responsible for the famous party Jollof rice taste and the also famous Ewa Agoyin (Local beans delicacy).

Non-stick pans are made with a specialized coating that reduces sticking. They are a popular choice, especially if you're cutting down on cooking with fat. Newer non-stick coatings are more scratch-resistant than before. They are easy to clean with the wipe of a sponge. Should not be heated to high temperatures; which means you should not use them for deep frying or our popular Ayamase (Ofada Sauce).

Stainless Steel Pots

Stainless-steel pots and pans are practically perfect: they are nonreactive (i.e., chemically stable), nonporous, virtually maintenance free, and resistant to scratches, dents, and, yep, stains. But because the metal is a poor conductor of heat, manufacturers often combine it with a better heat conductor. They may coat the bottom of a stainless-steel pan with copper, insert an aluminium or copper plate in the bottom, or make the pan out of several layers, with a good conductor right under the surface. These embellishments add to the cost of stainless-steel cookware, but, are the closest thing we have to the ideal chemically inert but thermally responsive pan.  And that is why so many professional chefs and serious home cooks swear by them.

So there you have it, my humble research about pots and pans inspired by my love for party Jollof rice. My verdict is this; while stainless steel and non-stick pots will be for my general everyday use in the kitchen, the aluminium pot will come in handy whenever I’m making fried stews and Ayamase, I doubt if I’d buy the copper set because it is expensive and requires polishing; which I do not have the patience for but my darling cast iron cauldron will always be a keeper for the party Jollof rice, ewa Agoyin and other large cooking.

I need to hear from you, how do you choose your pots/pans? most importantly if you have found a way to make party Jollof rice in the kitchen I need your recipe.

Cheers.

Organic versus Non-organic foods

Hello again, I’m bombarded with this question every day I shop for my customers, "Are your fruits and veggies organic?" I honestly cannot answer that question because our foods are not labelled in Nigeria and we have no traceability system in place.

I did some research to educate myself about organic and non-organic farming in Nigeria so that I could better serve my customers in identifying the foods before I buy and supply them but I was not able to get any verifiable information so I went online.

So much information on the internet I couldn’t possibly copy all here but I will try to summarize what I was able to understand.

The word "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process  agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct more sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay.

When talking about animals, organically raised animals are those raised with organic feed and kept free from growth hormones and antibiotics, as well as oftentimes treated more humanely and given better areas to roam than their non-organic counterparts. E.g. Chickens, cows, pigs etc.

Some people choose organically grown foods over conventionally grown foods because they have little or no pesticide residue left on produce and they believe organically grown foods have higher levels of nutrients.

While many studies have stated organic food is not necessarily healthier than non-organic in terms of nutritional value, the concerns for those who purchase organic tend to focus on the pesticides that can be ingested along with their fruits and vegetables.

There are other studies that show organic produce boasted up to 40 percent higher levels of some nutrients (including vitamin C, zinc and iron) than its conventional counterparts.

Comparing these two methods of farming take a different dimension if we introduce Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods into the mix. GMOs is used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. They are plants that have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides, pest resistance or improved nutritional content. This type of farming is mostly practiced in the United States of America and even though it has a lot of promises to help reduce world hunger and reduce cost of farming, European environmental organizations and International public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods and recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified foods on our health and environment has been called to question.

To scare me further, I read in today’s Guardian newspaper that our government is seriously looking to import GM technology via U. S. into the country. I have read all the positives of GM farming but from what I can understand the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. Other well enlightened societies are rejecting it so I don’t think we should submit ourselves to experiments; we have not yet gotten over the Pfizer saga that happened in the north of Nigeria a while back. Yes, if it will help increase our farm yields but I’m sure there are safer alternatives we can import. We have to be alive to eat.

In Nigeria of today, I cannot categorically tell my customers which farm produce is pure organic or not because we have no labeling standards and no one is checking. Every year our government distributes fertilizers to farmers and no one regulates usage of chemicals on the farms for plants and use of antibiotics etc for animals.Our eggs yolks keep getting whiter and our chickens softer and bigger, God help us. although studies abroad say there is no difference we need studies in Nigeria because I don't think we are using these chemicals right.

We have the weekly farmers market supposedly organic farmers all over the country but if the honey they sell can be adulterated what else can you expect.

So we are back to our original quest for food safety, without proper food safety standards that emphasizes labeling, traceability and regulates farm practice we cannot know the difference between organic and non-organic foods in the market place, we are left with whatever the farmer/sales person tells us that cannot be verified.