Ogidiolu farm is interested in developing your agribusiness entrepreneurial skills, technical expertise and capabilities of young men and women who are interested in agribusiness in rural, sub-urban and urban areas; creating networks and effective linkages between the key players in the business. Ogidiolu farm is a consulting agribusiness firm where you can obtain information on any of the sub sectors of the agribusiness which are discussed below as you indicate your interest.

The contribution of agribusiness to Nigeria’s GDP is currently less than 20%. This reveals that this sector of the economy holds great opportunities for diversification away from oil sector. Agribusiness is an important sector of the Nigerian economy that can accommodate everyone irrespective of his/her age, gender, educational background, marital status, ethnic group income status among others. A dynamic and efficient agribusiness sector of any nation is capable of improving the economy of the nation by creating employment, providing raw material for industry, reducing poverty, broadening peoples’ income opportunities and serves as weapon for food security as well as increasing the foreign earnings.

Agribusiness as an industry has five organizational forms of business:

• Sole proprietorship
• Partnership
• Joint Stock Company
• Co-operatives
• Public/State Enterprises

Sole proprietorship: This is the simplest agribusiness form under which only one person can operate. It is not a legal entity. It simply refers to an individual who owns the business and is personally responsible for its debts. In other words only one person can own agribusiness and that makes such an entrepreneur. Agribusiness is an all-encompassing business which will be discussed later as we proceed.

Partnership: This is a legal form of agribusiness operation between two or more individuals who share management and profits. This is a form of agribusiness that allows each partner to contribute to all aspects of the agribusiness, including money, property, labor or skill as well as shares the profits and losses of the business.

Joint Stock Company: This is an agribusiness entity in which different stocks can be bought and owned by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). However, members of this form of agribusiness must not be less than three.

Public/State Enterprises: This is another form of agribusiness that is set up and financed by government at all levels to provide essential services to the members of the public. This agribusiness is owned and controlled by the government.

Agribusiness sector of a nation is so wide that it contains many interdependent sub-sectors and key players (opportunities) which can be categorized into the following:

1. Farming Input Supply: This encompasses agricultural chemical inputs suppliers such as suppliers of fuels, fertilizers and agrochemicals (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticide); seed and feed concentrate suppliers; agricultural machinery and equipment suppliers; credit and veterinary services suppliers. This also includes suppliers of containers, sacks, crates needed in the packaging activities. Among others are utility suppliers like water, power, telephone and hospital insurance.
2. Producing Farm Firms: This category of people are called farmers which includes crop and livestock producers. The growth of this sub sector determines the growth of other sub sectors in agribusiness.
3. Food Processing firms: This sub sector processes and improves the outputs/products of producing farm firms as many of these products cannot be stored for a long time because they are perishable goods. Agribusiness involves in this sub sectors are: food and fruit juice canners; manufacturers of beer, soft drinks and medicine; producers of confectionary sugar sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits; tobacco processors and/or manufacturers; meat processors; leather and footwear manufacturers; food packaging and cartons manufacturers; cotton processing, spinning, weaving and textile companies; food processors of cornflakes, jam, bread, butter, milk, margarine, and tomato puree; oils, soap, and fishing companies and fish processors.
4. The Food Marketing and Distribution: This sub sector is the driver of agribusiness as it connects and networks other sub sectors together as well as connecting producers to consumers. Absence of this sector makes agribusiness incomplete. Agribusiness in these categories are food vendors; wholesalers and retailers of different farm input supply and farm output.

 Agribusiness is an ever-green business that has many stakeholders which includes:

• Agricultural researchers and product developers
• Agricultural technology developers, suppliers and users
• International and national research centers/institutions
• Faculty of agriculture with food technology departments
• Improved seed commercialization companies
• Producing farmer-groups and cooperatives
• Agricultural produce processors and marketers
• Small- and medium-scale agro-industrialists and agribusiness operators that process or transform primary products and market value-added goods
• Agricultural policy makers
• Banks and other agricultural funds providers
• Micro-credit and financial intermediaries;
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Agricultural product quality controllers
• Final consumers of agricultural products.

By: Moses Agunbiade