The Managing Director of Kesteramos Consultancy Limited Yenagoa, Bayelsa state Mr Kester Amos said agriculture is a noble profession which people look down on as a poor man business but it is the best sector of the world economy.
The MD of Kesteramos Consultancy Limited stated this when the team of The Forward News Media visit the farm in Bayelsa state, said the mind of our youths should be configured to develop interest in agriculture.
He explained that government should make agriculture interesting in the sight of the youths to enable them catch the vision or have interest in agriculture, noting that going into farming business requires development of mindset towards agriculture and see it as a profession.
The Managing Director, Kesteramos Consultancy Limited Yenagoa, Bayelsa state with The Forward News Media Correspondents during an interview session
According to him, he saw motivation in agriculture as a graduate of Animal Science from the faculty of Agriculture, Niger Delta University, Yenagoa Bayelsa state, and he decided to invest into agriculture to impact his immediate environment, adding that he is one of those people that want to take agriculture to the next level.
” I decided to practice agriculture not for myself but to carry the youths along and see that we have a brighter future.
“Agriculture is not just to make money but it is a noble profession and it pays you when you do it right”, he said .
The Managing Director, Kesteramos Consultancy Limited Yenagoa, Bayelsa state Recieving a Meritorious Service Award From The Forward News Publisher, Comrade Vivien Okafor
Farmers today, find it very difficult to go to their farms with the fear of Farmer’s harder crisis, saying we need to have a divine means for ourselves and that brought in Smart Farm where we plants tomatoes, yams among others in bags with sand.
“We don’t plant directly to the soil but through bags contained with sand, that was what i referred to as Smart Agriculture, it would have amazed you if you have come during our harvest time”
Talk about tomatoes, pepper, etc where average Nigerian cannot afford to buy, can be easily planted and nurse around us and make good use of them because they are very nutritious, he stated.
He noted that if Nigerians can go into substantial agriculture because that was how he started, people can plant around the premises, this will help to reduce cost of food stuff and it will be good if every household adopt this to fight hunger in Nigeria.
He also stated that the farmers harder crisis created a great challenge to farmers which made the farm produce very expensive . He disclosed that Kesteramos Consultancy Limited stayed in the business because they generate some of this farm input within.
In our farms , we build people, establish farms and we need government to give attention and support the farmers by providing security not only providing farms implements and equipment, government should protect the farmers and support them to do better so that they wound be able to feed our communities, the states and Nigeria, he added.
Doing this business, It can’t be done very easy but consistency and commitment as well as going into partnership to other farmers will help the farmers to remain in the business. In Kesteramos Consultancy Limited farm, our vision is to get conglomerate of farms so that we can remain in the business.
Speaking on the export, he said exporting maize to our neighboring counties while it most required here to feed our birds and other livestock but we chose to export while we are not producing enough to serve us here but we chose to export, saying we need to produce more so that we can export.
He advised anyone inspiring to invest in agriculture not to take loan from banks, adding that when sourcing for fund we should think of partnering with some farms, apply for grants and start small to grow your farm instead of taken loan from banks which he said, he can’t advise anyone to take loan from banks., he advised.
