Jasper Ezirim, an integrated farmer; and Food consultant

Kindly introduce yourself?

My name is Jasper Chidera Ezirim, I am an integrated farmer and food consultant

How long have you been a farmer/consultant?

I started in 2011, so it is about 4 years now

How has the journey been? What kind of farming are you into?

I am a vegetable farmer, and so far the journey has been great. There have been a lot of challenges but God has seen us through it all

What are the challenges you are currently facing?

Presently, there are no real challenges. Over time, I have been able to face and prepare myself for every possible outcome. In the past, the major challenge was marketing – how to reach the market and increase the demand to match your supply, and how to sell your goods at reasonable prices. I also faced the issue of sustaining production all year round, and this brought about the problem of irrigation during the dry season. The challenges were countless.

How were you able to solve the highlighted challenges?

Persistence, research, and dogmatic approach to marketing has helped me a lot

Can you please provide a brief summary of how to engage in vegetable farming?

Vegetable farming is more or less a full-time job, because for your vegetables to do well, you must give it a 100% attention

Great, why did you go into farming?

Well, I have always had a passion for farming. I had run other businesses like automobile importation, supply and delivery, and entertainment business too. But I found out that agriculture was the most profitable, so I moved into it.

Do you believe that agriculture is the key to reducing Nigeria’s huge unemployment rate?

Absolutely, like I always say, agriculture is the antidote to the disease that is eating up our country. If it is working for me against all odds, it can work for anybody

What can be done by the government to attract youths to agriculture?

Personally, I don’t share the opinion that the government has much part to play. The passion has to grow from within the youths, and then the government can become useful. Everybody wants a white collar job, nobody wants to get his/her hands dirty. It is terrible. Until the youths make a calculated decision to move out of their comfort zones, we can hardly achieve greatness.

Can you tell us how many acres of land you currently cultivate, and how profitable it is?

I have farms in different parts of the country, and it is very profitable.  I have two farms in Oyo state, one in Ogun, and four in Imo state, and I have network of farmers in every state in the southern part of the country.

What kind of vegetables do you cultivate?

They are cucumber, watermelon, green beans, sweet pepper, and tomatoes

Do you supply your produce to companies or everyday consumers?

I supply to everyday consumers

As a consultant, what kind of services do you provide?

Educate existing, and intending farmers on the latest farming technology that will boost their profitability; Farm set-up and management for farmers within a cluster; and majorly making sure there is food wherever I go.

Source: 9jaStartUpSeries