How To Become a Billionaire by Exporting ‘Ordinary’ Onion.
It was over a decade and a half, November 2004 precisely, at Microsoft
Training Centre, Paris. After my presentation, a closing preview was made
by a participant (can’t recall his name, but his accent sounds French), in
response to my challenge to Europeans on ‘How European Investors
Could Tap from Africans’ Huge IT Potentials in the Millennium’.
He highlighted an opportunity they noticed when they visited Sokoto,
Kebbi and Zamfara States In 2001 during Obasanjo’s led government to
explore ‘agricultural investment opportunities’. He was so passionate
about the rich nutritional ingredients they’d found in onion produced in
Aliero, Kebbi State, Nigeria.
His assertions wasn’t what surprised me, rather, the discovery that no
Nigerian company (as at then) tried to export any onion-related output to
address shortfall of onions across the European Union (EU) to full
capacity. The interesting part of his submission was when he says “most
EU residents survives by eaten fast food: Pizza; Burger; Sandwich etc,
and a must ingredient on all of the fast food is onion. There is both
shortfall of onion and garlic there. Where there’s the onion, it contains
less fibre, organic sulphur compound and folic acid compared to the one
produced in Northern Nigeria, specifically in Aliero.
To my amazement, the middle aged looking man was optimistic that the
European investors in attendance could make fortune by importing onion
to France, which would in turn serve as a hub, also a processing zone to
distribute to other EU countries close by. I carefully listed to investors
responses and immediately suspended my tech-driven idea, why?
Because I’m human, although my primary interest wasn’t import/export/
investment, but I saw a better, more realistic option of making it quick
and big in the onion potential.
I then met the Man during coffee break to enquire more on how the
proposed venture could be materialised. I found out that the man was
more deep in thoughts and intuition. He further told me that they offered
some suggestions to the then Kebbi state Governor Adamu Aliero, whom
coincidentally hailed from the same Aliero town that produced such an
exceptional onion in Nigeria. Sadly, Aliero didn’t do anything realistic then
that could turn around his Local Government into an international hub for
onion processing, sale and distribution.
When I asked the man again of potential collaboration for export he told
me that their preliminary review shows that the major challenge was
preservation of fresh onion on transit, since the cheapest means of
maximising profit is export via sea, and it’s almost impossible because
the onion might be defective on arrival due to time it takes before arriving
target destination; normally 4-6 weeks.
But there’s a smart alternative; to process the onion and export it as
dried. That as well comes with challenges; processing machines, local
and international import/export licences and the business will to invest.
But dried one could be shipped in vast quality via air export as there’s
about 10 daily flights that leaves Nigeria and 65% of them connects to EU
on daily basis.
That’s where the government and investors needs to come in. 15 years
on, now 2019 and it’s about the same trend maintaining itself. Onion
being produced and vast quantity gets rotten in the hands of the
producers. Farmers continue to loose further while investors and
governments ignore the huge potential.
As Adamu Aliero and most of the Governors then are still politically
relevant in Nigeria, this is the time they should push the Federal
Government via the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to come in at least with
enough publicity, funding to encourage massive production that would
enable export. Invest In infrastructure and subsidise it for entrepreneurial
benefits, which could in turn improve the GDP of our already dwindling
economy.
The state Governments especially Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara on their
part could harness this potential and use their respective ministries of
Agriculture, Commence and other investment agencies to make this a
reality.
I therefore urge our teeming investors, youth and entrepreneurs to do
more extensive research to explore huge untapped opportunities hidden
under the onion potentials, especially the one produced across the ‘hot’
northwestern zone in Nigeria. That could make one a multi millionaire in
Nigeria or even a billionaire exporting onion output across the globe.
I’m happy to provide additional guidance, details and contacts to
government agencies and interested investors, entrepreneurs to facilitate
speedy implementation.
Training Centre, Paris. After my presentation, a closing preview was made
by a participant (can’t recall his name, but his accent sounds French), in
response to my challenge to Europeans on ‘How European Investors
Could Tap from Africans’ Huge IT Potentials in the Millennium’.
He highlighted an opportunity they noticed when they visited Sokoto,
Kebbi and Zamfara States In 2001 during Obasanjo’s led government to
explore ‘agricultural investment opportunities’. He was so passionate
about the rich nutritional ingredients they’d found in onion produced in
Aliero, Kebbi State, Nigeria.
His assertions wasn’t what surprised me, rather, the discovery that no
Nigerian company (as at then) tried to export any onion-related output to
address shortfall of onions across the European Union (EU) to full
capacity. The interesting part of his submission was when he says “most
EU residents survives by eaten fast food: Pizza; Burger; Sandwich etc,
and a must ingredient on all of the fast food is onion. There is both
shortfall of onion and garlic there. Where there’s the onion, it contains
less fibre, organic sulphur compound and folic acid compared to the one
produced in Northern Nigeria, specifically in Aliero.
To my amazement, the middle aged looking man was optimistic that the
European investors in attendance could make fortune by importing onion
to France, which would in turn serve as a hub, also a processing zone to
distribute to other EU countries close by. I carefully listed to investors
responses and immediately suspended my tech-driven idea, why?
Because I’m human, although my primary interest wasn’t import/export/
investment, but I saw a better, more realistic option of making it quick
and big in the onion potential.
I then met the Man during coffee break to enquire more on how the
proposed venture could be materialised. I found out that the man was
more deep in thoughts and intuition. He further told me that they offered
some suggestions to the then Kebbi state Governor Adamu Aliero, whom
coincidentally hailed from the same Aliero town that produced such an
exceptional onion in Nigeria. Sadly, Aliero didn’t do anything realistic then
that could turn around his Local Government into an international hub for
onion processing, sale and distribution.
When I asked the man again of potential collaboration for export he told
me that their preliminary review shows that the major challenge was
preservation of fresh onion on transit, since the cheapest means of
maximising profit is export via sea, and it’s almost impossible because
the onion might be defective on arrival due to time it takes before arriving
target destination; normally 4-6 weeks.
But there’s a smart alternative; to process the onion and export it as
dried. That as well comes with challenges; processing machines, local
and international import/export licences and the business will to invest.
But dried one could be shipped in vast quality via air export as there’s
about 10 daily flights that leaves Nigeria and 65% of them connects to EU
on daily basis.
That’s where the government and investors needs to come in. 15 years
on, now 2019 and it’s about the same trend maintaining itself. Onion
being produced and vast quantity gets rotten in the hands of the
producers. Farmers continue to loose further while investors and
governments ignore the huge potential.
As Adamu Aliero and most of the Governors then are still politically
relevant in Nigeria, this is the time they should push the Federal
Government via the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to come in at least with
enough publicity, funding to encourage massive production that would
enable export. Invest In infrastructure and subsidise it for entrepreneurial
benefits, which could in turn improve the GDP of our already dwindling
economy.
The state Governments especially Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara on their
part could harness this potential and use their respective ministries of
Agriculture, Commence and other investment agencies to make this a
reality.
I therefore urge our teeming investors, youth and entrepreneurs to do
more extensive research to explore huge untapped opportunities hidden
under the onion potentials, especially the one produced across the ‘hot’
northwestern zone in Nigeria. That could make one a multi millionaire in
Nigeria or even a billionaire exporting onion output across the globe.
I’m happy to provide additional guidance, details and contacts to
government agencies and interested investors, entrepreneurs to facilitate
speedy implementation.
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