Georgina Akunuba, a livestock farmer in Anambra State, is the CEO of Progress Agric Venture. She owns a poultry, a fish farm, and a piggery. She started the business 23 years ago.
In this episode, Mrs Akunuba tells PREMIUM TIMES her journey into livestock farming.
PT: How did you get into the business of animal husbandry?
Mrs Akunuba: I love birds. When I was younger, my parents bought local fowl as gifts for my siblings and me. I loved to have them around. Back then, when people gave me money, I used the money to buy birds and grow them. I used the proceeds from the birds to support my parents financially and saw myself through school. I graduated from the Institute for Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu. Then I proceeded to Nnamdi Azikiwe University where I studied Mathematics Education.
PT: Women rearing animals appears a little more tedious than growing crops, what are the challenges you face?
Mrs Akunuba: First, I will say the issue is capital then followed by access to land. It is even more difficult because if I were into crop farming, I could always compromise, and maybe use other methods of farming but for animals, it is different. The cost of feeding the animals has tripled and this is seriously affecting the business.
PT: How do you ensure you buy quality feeds for your animals?
Mrs Akunuba: Well, I am a distributor of livestock feeds. I use commercial feeds because it is safer and healthier for the animals. But if I have access to funds, I will begin to manufacture the feeds myself because I have a fair knowledge of the production process. The high cost of feeding is a huge problem.
When you buy expensive feeds and you are not able to recover the cost after selling the birds, you will be running at a loss because you have staff to pay and other things to cover.
A bag of feed is between N12,000 to N15,000, If you have about 200 birds that means they will feed on a bag every day. So let’s say for six weeks you will spend over N500,000 just to feed them. So how much will you sell the birds or the eggs? How about drugs, water, maintenance and labour?
PT: The business climate appears unfavourable for egg production, how do you manage issues around egg glut?
Mrs Akunuba: I have lost so many eggs because of the weather and I can’t store the eggs for long. (It would be better) if the government assists us with storage facilities for eggs because people are losing so much and selling at unfair prices. But the government is not paying attention to some of these issues.
PT: Would you consider getting labour for your farm a difficult task, due to the nature of the business?
Mrs Akunuba: I don’t think it is difficult for me. I engage young people who are free/unemployed. They work for me and I pay them. I create employment opportunities but the government does not acknowledge it. My son is the farm manager, so he works on my farm and I pay him too. He learns the business as well.
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PT: What are the different techniques you deploy in managing birds during the dry season and rainy season?
Mrs Ahunuba: I reduce the number of birds during the dry season, that’s because the birds will not survive in a hot environment. Birds need ventilation. So the weather plays a very important role in growing birds.
PT: Are there similar challenges between fish farming and poultry?
Mrs Akunuba: Both of them are capital intensive, you need money to keep them running but the difference is that fish rearing doesn’t require much space compared to birds. Also, the feeds for fish are expensive and they need water. Currently, the space I use for 2000 birds, I can use it for 10,000 fishes.
PT: As a member of the Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), do you get any support from the government?
Mrs Akuniba: Well, we get support from the state government, although it is small and also the Bank of Agriculture has been helpful.
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