Agribusiness seems to be the ‘happening’ sector these days. Sorry, I take that back… Agribusiness is the ‘happening’ economic sector in Nigeria right now. From the North to the South, and from the East to the West, the level of interest, awareness and investment haven’t been seen since the colonial days. Are you considering getting involved in agribusiness? Then, let’s get some learning!

What is Agriculture?

Agriculture is the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops and breeding livestock, to provide food, fiber, medicine, recreation, etc, and to sustain and enhance life.

With the launch of the Presidential Intervention on Cassava in 2002, agriculture became Nigeria’s re-awakening. Subsequent policies like the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA-2011) and the Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP-2016) put agriculture at the forefront of the nation’s economic diversification efforts.

But inspite of the high public interest, unparalleled awareness and millions of naira worth of investment, many Nigerians are largely unaware of the enormous opportunities in the agriculture sector beyond production and processing. And yet, there are so many activities brimming with wealth and opportunities in agriculture. That is why we believe that until the nation fully explores the business potential of agriculture, Nigeria’s economy will continue to depend on crude oil for growth and development. Hence, Agribusiness!

The Agriculture Value Chain

What is Agribusiness?

It is the commercial and industrial level of agriculture which contributes to the national economy and is devoted to spreading the impact of agriculture to many business sectors.

The ‘Gold’ in agriculture is found in agribusiness and this is fully expressed in the agriculture value chain. The agriculture value chain presents the whole range of activities from the farm to the final customer or consumer. It is also referred to as agricultural activities from the FARM-to-the-TABLE. 

It is in the agriculture value chain that various careers, skills and opportunities abound to make that huge difference in the nation’s productivity which will improve and grow Nigeria’s GDP. It is also in the agriculture value chain that many Nigerians will be empowered to create jobs, create wealth, make positive socio-economic impact and add value, not only to lives and the local environment, but also to the global economy.

Global statistics have it that just about 20% of players will be involved in production activities in the agriculture value chain. Those are the farmers. And we will find out the ‘how’ and ‘why’ in subsequent articles. A vast majority, 80%, will be found in other activity areas, churning volumes and volumes of added value goods and services. You do not need to own/manage a farm to be a member of the agribusiness community and I’m letting you into this secret – there’s ‘gold’ in ALL of those areas, trust me!