68 year old former miner to rake in US$1m annual turnover from Cassava processing

At 68 one would assume it is time to hang up the gloves of trying to penetrate the world of entrepreneurship and accept that it is too late for risks. This is so because at this advanced age many would await for GOD’s call and no time for taking risks because it is long gone. Atleast that’s typical in many rural areas of Zambia.

But the story is different for Noah Kaputula a diminutive talkative former miner of Senama area in Mansa District of Luapula Province.  Mr. Kaputuls who retired in 1996 has had a stint at farming, psychosocial counseling and product marketing for SFH all aimed at making ends meet. But the 2013 advertisement by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) of funding the processing of cassava in Mansa ignited his memories of using starch in the metallurgy department during his time in the Mines

Noah Kaputula

 

 “As a former miner in the metallurgy department we used to use starch during titration and I thought that I should be processing cassava into starch. My main targeted buyers were mines and during the processing of loan papers that is when I came to know that starch can be used in so many things,” he says.

Starch is produced from grain or root crops. It is mainly used as food, but is also readily converted chemically, physically, and biologically into many useful products to date, starch is used to produce such diverse products as food, paper, textiles, adhesives, beverages, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, and building materials. Cassava starch has many remarkable characteristics, including high paste viscosity, high paste clarity, and high freeze-thaw stability, which are advantageous to many industries.

Cassava tubers

 

Mr. Kaputula pitched in his idea to CEEC and his K1,250,000 loan request was approved as it met all the relevant requirements. He single handedly superintended the construction works of his processing plant at a cost of over K700,000 under his company Tatwakakulabe General Contractors and Civil Engineers with the only expert advice he got being the architectural works from the equipment suppliers from China.  

The processing plant

Equipment costing around K500,000 is stored in a makeshift extension room of his house made of red mud-blocks distorting the outlook of his blue and white modern house in this peri-urban area. Its installation is awaiting the arrival of a Chinese engineer in two weeks time who is also expected to train the workforce and maintenance team.

“We are expecting an engineer from China to come and install the equipment and we will stay with him for 30 days during which he will also train operators and others to maintain it when he leaves the country” reveals Mr. Kaputula.

equipment store in a makeshift store room

 

With Luapula province being a home of cassava, Mr. Kaputula is looking at engaging not less than 3,000 suppliers of cassava from across the province and 25 full time employees to process 8 tons of cassava per shit (8 hour period).

Already Mr. Kaputula has gone to the market working on piling 10 tons of cassava for trials when the equipment is installed. He is buying a 50kg bag of cassava for K70 if it is coming from outside Mansa and K60 for suppliers from within the district because they use their own transport.

The CEEC has been promoting the value chain cluster in various remote areas of Zambia with a focus on sectors that the targeted areas have a comparative advantage in.

 

CEEC Director General Likando Mukumbuta

 

“Here in Mansa we have supported over 20 projects in the cassava value chain including small scale suppliers, transporters of cassava and processors like Mr. Kaputula.  This is important because with this kind of investment we actually develop the demand chain so that the demand of the product is commercialized,” he says adding that “The significant of this particular investment is that it ties in our policy at the commission of ensuring 90 percent of the projects are in rural areas so that we bring modernization and industrialization.”

Mr. Mukumbuta projects the plant to earn Mr. Kaputula US$1m dollars annually with prospects of further growth with time.

Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe who has been in the forefront of promoting the development of Small and Medium Enterprises notes that such ventures are key in opening up the potential that rural areas have in contributing to the country’s social and economic development.

Minister of Commerce Margaret Mwanakatwe

 

Mrs. Mwanakatwe took some time away from the inaugural Luapula Expo to reiterate government’s commitment in supporting SME development by commissioning the plant and calling on cassava growers in the province to take hold of the opportunity by expanding their fields.

 

“This gives an opportunity for cassava farmers to expand their fields and earn more money and it is also a chance to further improve your living standards. This plant is in response to government’s diversification agenda,” says Mrs. Mwanakatwe.

 

 

 

Cassava farmers in Luapula Province

 

Luapula Province Minister Nixon Chilangwa who was the main man behind the expo to open up invstement opportunities in the province to the globe notes that the processing plant fits into his vision of a better Luapula.

“What you’re doing here fits into the vision of a better Luapula, we are not talking about a better Luapula in 10 years time, we are saying within three years from today we need to see a change in the lives of our people,” says the Minister.

Luapula Province Minister Nixon Cilangwa

Harry Kalaba who is Bahati Member of Parliament a constituency in which the Cassava Starch Processing plant is based is happy that the empowerment funds for CEEC are being equally spread across the country.

“This goes to show that the money for CEEC is not only for those in Lusaka and other urban areas but it is money spread across the country for citizens who want to be part of Zambia’s growth triangle,” says Mr. Kalaba.

Bahati MP Harry Kalaba

The market for cassava in Luapula keeps expanding as some many firms such as Agro Africa and multimillion dollar projects by Sunbird Bio-Energy and Mahtani Group of Companies look at injecting US$20million dollars in a Cassava processing plant in Chembe district.

For Mr. Kaputula his vision is big as he aims at penetrating the international market and he has since convinced his son to quit working in the mines and join him in building a multimillion dollar family business which will outlive him.

Maria the Zambian “Tomato Queen” dates Start Up Grind Lusaka

They stand around the dining area at Lusaka’s Casa Portico in the affluent suburbs of Long Acres a few kilometers from State House discussing agriculture being the one topic that has drawn everyone here.

Despite the weather not being the friendliest this evening, most people’s attention on the fortunes that today’s Start Up Grind Lusaka guest seems to be raking in from her agro venture in tomato farming seems to be the heater providing them with the much needed warmth.

And as soon as Maria Zileni Zaloumis the 32 year old "tomato queen" emerges, everyone’s attention draws toward her as they spot smiles of admiration for her courage to abandon nursing a field she is trained in and take up agriculture a field she was totally blank in hitherto.

The old and young have all gathered to get some inspiration after hearing about Maria’s daily tomatoe sales which range between K25, 000 and K40, 000 when the price is good making monthly sales equivalent to some people’s retirement packages after serving in employment for years. However it comes at a cost owing to high chemical prices, time, dedication and passion.

 

 

Maria right being interviewed by Shupe.

 

As soon as she settles with her interviewer ShupeMwanza who is Start Up Grind Zambia Chapter Co-Chairperson, the audience is all eyes and ears on Maria as she delves into how she started from half a hectare of tomatoes in August 2016 started by her mum to the current 13 hectares.  

She reveals that the market for tomato in Zambia is huge adding that bigger farmers whom she looks up to are also in the league.

 

Part of Maria's tomato field

 

“I sale most of my tomatoes at Soweto market and we also extend to Southern and Western Provinces with the latter being a link into the Angolan Markert,” notes Maria.

Fast forward asked about where she sees herself in five years time, with a smile on her face while cleaning her right eye with tissue after suffering a chemical spill earlier in the morning on her farm, Maria shoots straight into wanting to make an impact in the country and inspire many others.

"In five years, I want to make such a bg impact in Zambia espcially among young people like me. I want to add value to my tomato business maybe have an outgrower scheme,“ says the bubbly farmer.

Maria told the gathering that she also has cows with which she has developed a close bond and does not even think of ever killing or selling them.

"I love my mum's cows and they all have names to which they respond,“ she notes.

 Maria employs 23 full time farmers but the number of employees at times skyrockets to 45 depending on the amount of work which requires the engagement of part timers.

 

A member of the audience asking Maria a question

She views farming as a sector that will create a lot of employment in the next few years because of the rise in demand of food locally and the region owing to population expansion. Maria encourages young people to consider venturing into the sector and create their own jobs instead of lamenting to government for jobs.

With enough publicity recieved over the months after first making an appearance on ZNBC TV in a documentary with Effie Mphande, Maria has seen plenty of glory and success following her with the Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya having toured her farm for a recording with CNN on Maize production recently. The 32 year old was also interviewed by the international news outlet on maize production which she grows for her cattle to cut down on feed costs.

 

Part of audience listening to Maria's agric story

 

Recently Maria took up a new challenge of  Chairperson of Fruits and Vegetables under the Zambia National Farmers Union. She attributes all the glory and success which have made her the youngest commercial tomato farmer in the country in less than a year of venturing into the sector accidentally to passion, hardwork and faith in GOD.

She now plans of extending her tentacles into livestock production like dairy cows on a large scale but first she wants to stabilize in tomatoe production.

With a lot of publicity recieved Maria has caught more than the attention of international media outlets but also international agencies like USAID who have given her a grant in form of a Green House for her seddlings.

 

Maria in front of her new green house

 

About Start Up Grind Lusaka

Start Up Grind Lusaka is part of Start Up Grind Global a Silicon Valley-based organization that educates and mentors entrepreneurs through monthly business events and speaking series. It is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting 1,000,000 entrepreneurs in over 200 cities. For Zambia the platform is held every last Thursday of the month.

https://www.startupgrind.com/lusaka/

Home feed mix key in cutting down costs for livestock production

The Lecture theatre is fully parked at the Livestock ServicesCo-operative Society in the Lusaka Agriculture and Commercial Show grounds, as a youthful Mulele Nakweti an animal nutritionist runs through the theoretical part of home feed mixing.

Participants, some retirees old enough to be his father have their eyes and ears locked on the 26 year old graduate from the University of Zambia because the direction of their next phase in life, livestock farming entirely relies on him amidst the high cost of feed.

Mulele during a lecture

This is but one of the many seminars mostly free offered at the Society’s Technical Centre designed to help farmers reduce their operation costs while increasing their profits.

Today’s (Saturday May, 20, 2017) focus is general livestock feed production a run through the major requirements of feed.

Mulele tells me in an interview after the seminar that the emphasis is thorough mixing of feed which is one thing that farmers fail to archive. He says the core of the seminar is how one can achieve feed production using available simple tools and raw materials to improve their animals’ nutrition while cutting down on costs.

“Mainly we look at the costs, it is much cheaper to make your own feed than buying. We’re talking about 30percent savings which is a lot of money over a long period of time,” says the soft spoken Mulele.

 

Rise in interests for feed production

Mulele says the over two years that the seminars have been running have seen a rise in interest on feed production as many people venture into the fast money poultry production but turn to producing their own feed in a bid to improve their profits while keeping costs low.

He says the centre offers feed production seminars for all types of livestock from poultry, goats, sheep, and cattle both for calf and dairy production.

“We’ve introduced a third new course on beef production and everyone interested should come and attend,” notes the soft spoken Mulele.

On fears by some people that the seminars cost a lot, Mulele quickly chips in emphasizing that all seminars offered at the Centre are free except for home feed mixing and meat processing which takes place at Day Break Farm owing to purchases of raw materials used for practical lessons.

 

Practical lessons

After nearly three hours of intense theory, Mulele moves his students to the lab where Philip Phiri the elderly technician in charge of the lab awaits to run through the hands on job of feed mixing. On his table are key ingredients such as fish feed, soya meal and maize meal (number three meal) alongside a digital scale and measuring bucket.

Mr. Phiri reiterates Mulele’s sentiments that home feed mixing is cheap as all raw materials required like soya beans, sunflower and maize are now available locally following an increase in the number of farmers growing them.

“I was computing per 50kg bag formulae for broiler grower and found that farmers would spend K152.15 on ingredients while buying already made feed for the same would cost them K228.98 meaning that they could be saving around K76.83,” notes Mr. Phiri.

Mr. Philip Phiri during a session with participants

 

The seminar on feed mixing provides a general guidance on use of available ingredients which should contain the exact nutritional elements and requirements but farmers can be able to produce feed for whatever livestock they are involved in rearing.

“When feed is mixed it has to meet all the necessary nutritional requirements meaning we need to have carbohydrates which become energy, we need proteins which we get from amino acids for the birds to grow and we need minerals like dicalcium phosphate for strengthening of the bones so that they are strong enough to walk around and get food and water,” he notes.

Some of the participants following the practicals

 

Mr. Phiri delves into a secret behind feed production to keep costs low such as grinding bubble fish or Kapenta which is small type of fish in Zambia in place of fish meal which may turn out to be costly. The number three maize meal can actually be found with millers in the townships while dicalcium phosphate is a by-product of cement just as soya cake is a by-product of soya beans after extraction of cooking oil. Soya cake is readily available as many people have set up cooking oil extracting machines in many townships.

The lime added is among the cheapest ingredients costing a paltry K10 per 50kg bag.

 

Motivation for participants

“I’ve been inspired to attend this course because I’ve just retired from employment and I want to migrate to the village. I’m setting base in my village in Chadiza for my next phase of life to take up farming of all types. This seminar will help me a lot especially that I noticed there was a lot of bias toward poultry production although these are general principles of feed production.” Raphael Phiri - Retiree

“I thought of doing something different, venturing into something new that’s why I came to attend this seminar so that I can learn how to mix feed on my own. I have learnt that there are so many advantages of home feed mixing because you save a lot in terms of profits. I’m now just trying to mobilize finances then will venture into poultry farming.”  Getrude Mwanza--Fridge Repairer

Upcoming seminars

Upcoming seminars for this quarter are as tabulated below:

MAY

DATE	COURSE	TIME
Wednesday 24th May, 2017	Sheep and Goat Production (Mr. Daka) -Free	08:00 to 12:00
Saturday 27th May, 2017	Pig Production (Dr. Chijikwa)- Free	08:00 to 12:00
Saturday 27th May, 2017	Meat Processing (Mr. Nchito 0977 782636) K75 Venue: Day Break Farm, Kafue Road	08:00 to 16:00
Wednesday 31st, May, 2017	Principles of Home Feed mixing (Mr. Phiri/Mulele)K50 Venue: Livestock Services Lecture room	08:00 to 12:00

 

JUNE

DATE	COURSE	TIME
Saturday 3rd June, 2017	Dairy reproduction and management, (Dr. Mutemwa) free	08:00 to 12:00
Wednesday 7th June, 2017	Fish Farming-Aquaculture (Frank Mukuka), free	08:00 to 12:00
Saturday 10th June, 2017	Crop Production (Omega), free	08:00 to 12:00
Tuesday 13th June, 2017	Beef Production, free	08:00 to 12:00
Wednesday 14th June, 2017	Pig Production, (Dr. Chijikwa), free	08:00 to 12:00
Saturday 17th June, 2017	Sheep and Goat Production (Mr. Daka) -Free	08:00 to 12:00
Wednesday 21st June, 2017	Egg Production (Dr. Zyambo), free	08:00 to 12:00
Saturday 24th June, 2017	Quail Production, (Mulele), Free	08:00 to 12:00
Saturday 24th June, 2017	Meat Processing (Mr. Nchito 0977 782636) K75 Venue: Day Break Farm, Kafue Road	08:00 to 16:00

 



Maria Zaloumis the “tomato Queen” reaps big from the Red GOLD

She stands amongst erect tomato plants taller than her, holding four fruits in her left hand and spotting a huge smile, happy with the success of her produce.

Her name is Maria Zaloumis a 32 year old trained nurse and cardiologist who recently abandoned her medical career to become a “Tomato Queen” exercising her passion for entrepreneurship through farming.

Maria’s entry into farming was after completion of her education in Australia returning to the family farm that only had a half hectare of tomatoes and an ailing father unable to manage it. Armed with a few savings from her school days and her parents’ 40 hectare land Maria set out on the agric path with only one goal; to succeed.

She has managed to expand the operation from half a hectare of tomatoes to 13 hectares from which she harvests between 250 and 400 boxes everyday giving her approximately daily revenue of K12, 500 at the lowest price of K50 per box.

“I am the type of woman who loves challenges. I needed a change in my life because I have an entrepreneurial mind as being in medicine and nursing you always work for someone so I wanted to work for myself,” she says in response to a question on what inspired her to give up a prestigious job for farming.

Maria says her start was on expanding the half hectare of tomatoes by planting 13,000 plants with huge returns being re-invested in the business for further expansion.  For young people wishing to get in to farming, her advice is for them to raise capital through savings and downscale their lives.

“Young people with 9 to 5 jobs should save up some money to raise capital and also adjust their lives I had to did with my life through cutting down a lot of things. I am not on a salary from the time I started as I put back all the monies I make for expansion so I have not benefited much from this venture so that I secure a better future,” she says adding  that “building a business empire takes time so I have given myself two years to be on a salary. The first two to five years depending on how big you want to grow you won’t get a salary because you getting the money meant to expand to look after yourself, so it’s either you grow yourself or grow your business.”

Current operations

The 40 ha farm is slowly becoming small for her vision hence she is looking at a second farm to expand operations. Currently Maria has dedicated 13 ha for tomatoes, 8 ha for maize meant for her cows, some grazing pasture and about 20 beds for rape meant to service bills for chemicals which she gets from some company.

Her venture has since created 32 jobs, 25 full time, two taking care of her cattle and four guards of which two take up the night shifts and two day shifts.

“I take good care of my workers especially my women because they mean a lot to me and I give make them to run the farm once a week,” she notes.

 

Lessons learnt

“I have learnt a lot from farming the short period I have been in it. Tomato prices got depressed in January and they were like that for about three months during which we went through a hard time until recently when they started picking up,” narrates Maria.

Among key lessons Maria says she has learnt about farming is financial discipline. She says tomato farming especially requires high level of financial discipline because all anticipated fortunes from the crop can be overturned over night by diseases like Tuta absoluta which recently raked havoc among many farmers.

Maria adds that she has also learnt to be focused and consistent because the two are key weapons in one’s success as doing the same thing every day makes one become better at it.

“When you do something as a young person, do it very well, you may not be recognized by your bosses but other people and eventually doors open. So put your heart into it through being focused and consistent,” she says.

Land availability

With the latest trends indicating that many young people are developing interest to venture into agriculture, land acquisition remains a major challenge because of the complexities and high costs involved. Land remains a key factor of production in agriculture and its proximity to town makes it more expensive. Thus Maria observes that “the deeper you go, the cheaper land gets” a statement which makes that land in the outskirts of town which people are avoiding is cheap.

True to the Tomato Queen’s words many Zambians want land that is close to town which is however very expensive and beyond the affordability of an average young Zambian, worse still youths wishing to try their luck at a sector set to create the next generation of self made millionaires.

Maria advices government to develop a scheme for young people wishing to venture into agriculture which will provide them with incentives that will see them easily access land.  In addition Maria is appealing to government to consider developing ways of funding young people involved in the sector through loans or grants subject to serious scrutiny of their credit background.

Five year projection

“It is positive at the moment and a lot of people are getting into farming as seen on social media. I see Zambia feeding itself in five years time,” observes Maria.

However Maria is quick to emphasize the need for crop diversification among new entrants in the sector.

“Just because I grow tomatoes and it is lucrative for me does not mean that everyone getting in agriculture should grow tomatoes. Young people should look at other fields of agriculture such as production of fruits which is not common in Zambia,” she says.

In wrapping up our interview the tomato queen says farming is not an easy thing but with focus and consistency it is doable for young people. She says the best time to venture into farming is now for young people because of the high energy.

Her final words are; “You don’t need a lot of money to start farming, even just 5,000 plants on a small field and then you start expanding with time.”

 

Young doctor abandons prestigious medical career for farming

“Farming Zambia out of poverty,” is her motto.

While many young people admire the prestigious job of being a medical doctor, 27-year-old Tamara Kaunda has opted to hang her stethoscope for the oldest occupations of mankind-farming.

“I came to realise that the root cause of so many patients in UTH was due to poverty. It is not like people were getting sick, but the sickness mostly was caused by poverty and I said how can I help the nation,” says Tamara.

The young Dr. Kaunda, granddaughter of Zambia’s founding President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (Her father and Dr. Kaunda are brothers) decided to abandon her medical profession in 2015 to venture into farming full time. Tamara turned to her memories as a child growing up on a farm in Chinsali District of Muchinga Province where her education was financed by proceeds from her family’s farm.

First step into farming

Tamara was seeking to encourage young people to venture into farming as a business while she was still in employment, but thought words alone while she maintained her lucrative job would not work as young people prefer practical examples. And that was her turning point marking the decision to take the lead through action.

“When I tell young people, that hey,guys I am a medical doctor, which is a high paying job, but I am in agriculture, they get encouraged because they say there must be something in agriculture that made her abandoned her well paying job,” says Tamara.

Tamara’s start in the sector considered home to the new GOLD was not easy.She had no experience or resources to go commercial save for her childhood experience on her parents’ farm. Determined to earn a spot in the agriculture sector, Tamara acquired some skills in agriculture through some trainings. With no money but armed with a fraction of new skills, Tamara bought second had seedlings trays and nets and that marked the beginning her farming business which has since grown into 879 seedling trays offering seeds of different crops and offering training under Billionaire Farmer Agric Solutions. 

Her motivation is for youths to push hard for their dreams. 

“Ideas matter more than money. When you have an idea and want to make it work you can start with anything, you can do it, but you must have patience to grow because success doesn’t happen overnight, you must be persistent, you must work your dream, “advises Tamara.

Financial discipline 

Most young people turn to fast cars, being slaying Kings and Queens with little resources that come their way,but Tamara thinks financial discipline must be tops. 

Tamara says her business, which she runs with her fiancée and partner Chiluba Kunda, also medical doctor who abandoned his profession for farming, has grown due to strict financial discipline.

“Whatever we realise from sales we put back in the business to expand it.”

Asked how much she makes every month, Tamara was reluctant to mention saying young people would get excited without realising how much work goes in. But we still pushed further not taking NO for an answer and a whooping K170,000 came out as the monthly  revenue from which she pays her 14 employees, other expenses and expansion of the business which takes up a larger chunk on the 24 hectare land. 

On government incentives

Questioned if government is offering any support and to young people in agriculture, and the answer is a bold NO.

 “No. there should be a deliberate move to finance youths in agriculture. If there was we would have had 10 to 20 green houses if we had finances needed. Government is so reluctant to finance youths in agriculture and young farmers are not even here,” she laments citing Kenya as one country were young people are thriving through government’s support.

She adds that Banks are reluctant to give young people loans because they don’t trust them and they don’t believe the sector has money yet it is key in poverty alleviation and job creation.

The challenge

Tamara challenges young people not to be limited by their professions and come out of the perception that wearing a suit and tie and speaking good English is a sign of success and wealth.

 “Instead of going to other people’s offices to look for jobs, we need to change the face of Zambia and employ others ourselves,” she says adding that: “We must take this chance to get into agriculture and produce for our country and the region as part of contributing to economic development.” 

Asked on her vision in the next five years, Tamara says she targets the export market and ends with her motto;

“The next five years will have a lot of money and working toward being featured on Forbes. We are also looking at bringing more young people in the sector. Poverty will be history and I’m super excited of getting rid of poverty,” she says ending with her motto “We’re looking at farming Zambia out of poverty.”

Her partner and fiancée 

Tamara’s business partner and fiancée is Chiluba Kunda a young medical doctor and last born son of Zambia’s late Former Vice President George Kunda. He says his motivation to venture into the sector most people perceive a preserve of retirees. 

Chiluba says young people need to make bold decisions about what they want and not succumb to pressures of society on what direction they need to take.

By Brian Mwale