Minister of Agriculture, Adesina.
A young lawyer who is also a pig farmer has commended the agricultural transformation agenda under the leadership of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Boluwaji Iwajomo, a barrister from Akure, Ondo State, at the week end, amplified on a statement recently made by the minister that his “satisfaction is using agricultural business and finance innovations to turn Nigerian and African farmers and agribusinesses into millionaires and billionaires.”
“We on our farm have keyed into this statement, and we look forward to the New Year with hope; we intend to expand and we are sure that with the revolution in the agricultural sector as we see under this present administration, the future for small scale farmers like us is bright,” disclosed Iwajomo who narrated his experience in agribusiness as a young graduate lawyer.
Just before his graduation from the university about five years ago, he said, “it was very worrisome looking around me and seeing that many graduates including my humble self were going to join the employment market with no hope, but depending on good old government to provide employment. I was scared and felt there had to be another way out, especially for sustenance.”
His decision to look in the way of agriculture has paid off and looks even more promising from his experience in the chosen area of agriculture he started with: “I started my pig farm about three years ago and I combine it with my busy schedule as an attorney. We started with 1 male pig and 2 females; because of the procreation and fertility history of pigs, we multiplied rapidly; feeding pigs is cheap, we visit local schools and eateries to collect left over foods and buy pig feed at a local mill.”
He took advantage of friends and peers who are professionals that could help. “My networks of friends include Vet doctors and I have been helped by them to provide care for our animals. Today, we have grown rapidly with about 430 pigs on our farm. This Christmas, our net income in sales was in the thousands. I am an employer of labour, I pay salaries of two staff and business is growing and good, with a growing business, and my ever so busy law practice, I have been able to create additional income to help support our family,” he testified.
The lessons he has learnt within the few years of pig farming were enumerated thus: “Economic sustenance is very simple, especially for young graduates,” and “my case is a typical example.” According to Iwajomo, “with determination, there are many options out there that can create self employment. You do not have to be a graduate of agriculture to own and start a farm. Financially, starting on a small scale is viable if one makes it a priority. Owning a farm will not take you away from your primary profession, but it will add extra income to your pocket. You can be an employer of labor and help in feeding other families. If every young graduate takes a cue from this, the level of unemployment in the nation will reduce drastically.”
Iwajomo counseled that “special mention should be made here of the policies of the current federal Ministry of Agriculture under the able leadership of the Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, for his supportive and farmer- friendly policies: Case in point is the Growth Enhancement packages that heavily subsidises costs incurred by registered pig farmers around the country. Other policies abound which have made it easy to purchase feeds at cheap prizes. My hope is that more funds and subsidies would be made available to help willing farmers.”
His story has transformed from the uncertainty of five years ago to great prospects as he described using a quote from Brian Brett, that “farming is a profession of hope” and his own personal experience over the past three years as he added that, “indeed we see and live it on our farm on a daily basis.”
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