Expansion of the rabbit & strawberry agribusiness

Entrepreneur

About Me

My name is Harun Mwangi,23 years of age and aeronautical engineering is my proffesion. I'm a kenyan from kiambu county but currently living in Nairobi.Mr Mwangi comes from a family of four and the only man of the house.It's unfortunate my dad passed away in 1998 during the Nairobi bomb blast as an employee in an insurance firm at Ufundi House.Being the first born,i feel naturally mandated to take responsibility of the two sisters and mum who requires alot of support.
Besides being interested in aircraft dynamics,i totally love agriculture.Agriculture is a venture that will always demand expansion due to the increasing population and as an enterprenuer,i decided to work in a business that will never lack demand for its products.Other than being a promising business, good nutrition for a working people is paramount and i decided to be a supplier of the same.I have reared rabbits and planning to farm strawberries,keep sting- less bees and in the long term start value addition of different food stuff,packaging and exportation.I'm also planning to work with some children orphanages in our county by establishing business for them and buying products from them.In this way they get a source of income and also engages them in employment.

My Business

I currently have reared 80 grown New Zealand White (does) rabbits (and 4 bucks)and planning to start strawberry farming, bee keeping and in the long term start a company for food value addition and exportation of different food stuff. The urine from the rabbits and manure (which is also an income earner) will be used in strawberry farming, the bees will help in pollination. From the first zidisha loan I plan to buy 300 strawberry seedlings at a cost of about 70$and 300 polythene bags from where I plant the seedlings at a cost of 18$. I will employ a casual labourer to water and cater for the seedlings for the first two months, twice weekly, which will cost 65$. The strawberry market is doing very well locally, with a punnet of 250gm averaging about 3$. Currently apart from rearing the rabbits for home consumption, I am also a breeder, with four bucks, each for 20 does of high-breed New Zealand whites. At the moment, 30 of the does are expectant, due between 15th-28th of this month; I sell one-month old bunnies at 6$ each and with time, as the rabbit industry grows, I have made a name for myself in my home area as one of the top breeders and most of the time, am unable to satisfy the huge market. A fully grown rabbit goes for a minimum 17$, and currently, am with a company based in Nairobi, that contracts farmers to sell them the fully grown rabbits; this assures me of a ready market. I also have plans to become a consultant in rabbit rearing, as I have been getting a lot of courtesy calls from many prospective farmers. The manure and urine from the hatches, and which is also in high demand in farms for its high nitrogenous nutrients, will be used in the strawberry seedlings and the surplus sold.

Loan Proposal

Following my bid to venture into strawberry farming a month and a half ago, I can happily report that all is going as per the plan; I managed to plant 320 strawberry seedlings and also took in one casual employee to assist in the farm activities including planting, watering, application of manure, mulch and the organic fertilizers (from the rabbits’ urine). The rabbit business, which has been my core business, ha s also seen a major boost, as several (30) does that were pregnant have been bearing me a huge number of bunnies (100 so far) and an increase in the number of farmers interested in taking up rabbit farming has seen a boost in the sales return. I am currently seeking to expand the strawberry farm to about 600 seedlings (double the current number); this will be at a cost of 70$ for 300 seedlings and 18$ for 300 polythene bags in which I will plant the seedlings. I also plan on boosting the water reserves to ensure continuous and enough water throughout the plants’ life. A small tank holding 5000litres of water sells at a minimum cost price of 380$. I will raise 330$ from my savings (from the sale of rabbits) and the loan remainder (about 60$) will be combined to procure a 5000litre tank.

Feedback

Loan Info

Lenders