How I started vegetable business with N2,000- Trader recount‎s 

Madam Arafat Omale 53, who hails from Kogi state and sells Vegetable at Garki market is generating serious cash-flow from selling vegetable and other condiments. Adeola Tukuru reports. Madam Arafat, who started in 2014 with just one basket of vegetable at her disposal is now able to supply to markets around her area. ‎

While recounting to Business Starter, she explained that she started the business with the sum of N2,000, but now earn over N13,000 daily from selling to consumers and also distributing to other traders. She is also able to fend for her family and train her children through school ‎from the vegetable business. While explaining in not too fluent English language ,” When I came to Abuja in 2012 , I looked around for security jobs but I didn’t get any better one. In fact, I worked in one private house as a cleaner for almost 2 years then I realised that my salary was ‎not enough for me and my family.”So, I gathered all I have in my savings which was just N2,000, I bought a basket of vegetables and displayed it in front  my house” “‎ I realised that my wares get exhausted before evening that customers come back to ask for more. I realised I sold almost all my wares in a day and so I had to get a place in Garki market, where I can display more of my tomatoes””It was like a dream when I realised that I now buy more than 6 baskets in a day and sell to my customers. Some of them even place order for parties and I also distribute to other customers, ” she said.On challenges of preservation She expressed dismay on how much vegetables she lost ‎every season. According to her, for years, her vegetables started rotting just three or four days after harvest which made her frustrated. 

According to her “I lost almost half of my production. Worse still, I would ‎sell at a low price in the market. So in 2015, I thought that maybe I should find a tomato conservative technique “.She further explained that she tried several techniques to solve her problem. She tried storing her vegetables underground ‎and even in sand. She tried everything that came to her mind but without success. Then one day, Madam Tayo noticed that the vegetables she kept next to her banana tree were not rotten. She decided to keep it in the ash and found out that this technique was more effective than any of the other techniques she had tried.The future of vegetables farming This is evident in the fact that the need for fresh vegetables is increasing with the federal government bringing in policies to encourage ‎more farming so as to reduce money spent in importing, it is a sign that priority is been given to the industry.

 Experts call for more implementation Experts in the agricultural sector have identified rising spate of insecurity, misdirection of government funds and poor implementation of interventions by the Federal Government as the leading causes of hike in food prices.Other causes identified include multiple level of taxation through inter-state food transportation from both the federal, state and local government authorities.Also, some farmers who crave to be anonymous while speaking to The Guardian said often, they had to bribe bandits and herdsmen in their locality so as to enable them to access their farmlands unhindered.One of the farmers said: “The hike in prices of food is not our making. At every level of production, we have to bribe the bandits so as to have a hitch-free farming and harvesting.”.Proceeds from vegetablesYou can start planting the vegetables and sell the proceeds to people that need it. You can decide to sell wholesale to retailers that will sell in small quantities. You can sell to factories that produce tomato paste and big restaurants that cook a large quantity of food.2. You can buy vegetables  and sell them too If you cannot cope with the stress of farming, you can as well buy vegetables and sell to people that need them.

 There are some that use vegetables in large quantity but do not have the chance or opportunity of going to buy; you can identify such individuals and supply them with the ones you buy.3. You can venture into dried businessVegetables have a season and when it is out of season, it becomes difficult to get and costly too. In such a period, you can venture into dried vegetables . You can get fresh vegetables  when it is in abundant and dry them, then start selling them when it is scarce.The rules that helps in vegetables farming .

1.Get a land Before you go into farming, you would, first of all, get land where you will plant your seed. Before you pick a land make sure it is a place that is fertile and will promote the growth of tomatoes.A place that is sunny and well-drained is the best for tomatoes. Even if it is your backyard make sure it is well-drained and sunny too.2. Get your land prepared After getting the land, the next is to get it prepared. You do this by removing unwanted grasses (weeds) on the land after which you make soil beds.Madam Omale