The lives of these Nigerians who make fortunes from farming, as well as the recent commitment of the Federal Government to the Agricultural sector, has led many Nigerians to venture into farming.
Nigeria, the country with the largest population in West Africa and the giant of Africa, has always been faced with a shortage of food supply, thereby causing the country to depend more on imported food like rice, beans, etc. This has led the country to experience inflation and a hike in the prices of food.
The narrative is gradually becoming obsolete as more people are now taking up farming as a profession. The sector that was once presumed to be for aged people, due to the youths’ negligence for farming, has recorded quite a number of wealthy and successful individuals in the sector.
In this article, we will be listing a few Nigerians who have made fortunes from farming and have a lot of people in their employ. It is also worthy of note that the youths are getting more involved than ever, owing to the Federal Government’s initiative of ‘Growing What You Eat’ and closing the borders for importation to awaken people to go back to the farm. This in turn will boost the economy.
We will be outlining 5 Nigerians with fortunes from farming.
1. Rotimi Williams – Kereksuk Rice Farm
Rotimi Williams, a former journalist, is a 35-year-old successful rice farmer. He owns the Kereksuk rice farm located in Nassarawa State. His rice farm sits on 45,000 hectares and it employs around 600 people. Because of his goals to reduce Nigeria’s need to import rice, Rotimi’s farm is currently producing 8,000 tonnes of paddy rice for milling companies all over Nigeria.
Rotimi seeks out measures to proffer solutions for staple food in the country, which is why he took on rice production.
He has championed many initiatives to re-ignite the youths’ passion for agriculture with the provision of educational grants to empower them up to the tertiary level. He also provided loan grants for over 100 women in the rural area – in the rice farming sector.
2. Engr. Kolawole Adeniji – Niji Farms
An Engineer by profession but a farmer by calling, Kolawole Adeniji is the founder and CEO of Niji group. Starting as a humble farmer in 1991, Adeniji’s farm deals in agricultural machinery, food processing, agribusiness education, farm mechanization and hospitality. Adeniji has remarkable competence in troubleshooting food processing plants. His capabilities in agriculture are noticed and he has won numerous awards like the 2015 Business Initiative Directions and the Century International Quality Era award.
Niji farms is one of the biggest cassava producers in Nigeria. The farm was established in 2012 in other to supply raw materials for the Niji food processing plant.
3. Prince Arinze Onebunne – Jovana Farms
Arinze Onebunne is the CEO of Jovana Farms founded in Mushin, Lagos. Prince Arinze’s passion lies in animal farming. He rears rabbits, quails, antelopes, guinea pigs and fish amongst others, in over 30 states in Nigeria. The millionaire farmer besides earning from his animals does consultancy work and farm construction projects.
The founder of Jovana farms is also at the helm of modern fish and livestock farming which is considered a fast-growing subsector of the economy.
He also carries out feasibility studies, site surveys and farm construction services as part of his professional services.
4. Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo – Folawiyo Farms Ltd.
Wahab Iyanda is the founder of Folawiyo Farms Limited, located at Yinka Folawiyo Avenue, Apapa, Lagos. This farm was incorporated in October 4, 1985 and deals in livestock farming, fish farming, agricultural consultancy, farm tools, fertilizer production and horticulture.
5. Olusegun Obasanjo – Obasanjo Farms
Olusegun Obasanjo is a good example of Nigerians with fortunes from farming. The former military man and head of state is the owner of Ota farms otherwise known as Obasanjo Farms. The farm was formally opened on October 8 1978. Obasanjo believes that agriculture can cater for any country, produce technology and organize her entrepreneurship. He is of the opinion that it contributes to the improvement of living standards and should provide for both the current generation and the future generations.
Olusegun Obasanjo Farms are located in different parts of the country. They are managed by high-class experts in the agricultural field. Professionals from other economic sectors related to agriculture are also involved in their operations. The production of agricultural goods is carried out on more than 30 thousand hectares of land. More than 5500 workers are employed on the farms.
Obasanjo Farms produces agricultural products and goods such as eggs for food Incubators, chickens of different ages, cultivation of field crops, pig breeding, rearing of poultry for slaughter and breeding, cattle growing for meat and dairy products, forage grass for breeding of rabbits, fish fattening, etc.
The Agricultural Sector is no longer a task scheduled for the old and grey, even the younger generations are making fortunes for the Agricultural Sector. Hence, if you are a farmer and you’ve been growing food for just yourself, begin to think about commercializing it.
If you haven’t started, it’s never too late.
