I am married, I have a wife and I am a father of 5 children. I am from a large family of 14 children, my father had 2 wives, and I am the eldest of his children. This makes me primarily responsible for the family, and I am the head of the family since the death of my father more than 15 years ago. Since that time I have grown and sold produce here in Bobo-Dioulasso. Bobo is an area that produces a lot of lettuce, so the price is low and that is not good for my family. This is why I started to go in Cote d'Ivoire to sell my produce where the market recognizes its quality of organic products. I work to conserve my produce for export, as the distance from Bobo to Abidjan is more than 1,000 km, and I go by train to pay less for transport.
The consumers who buy my produces always appreciate them and I am proud of that. I have little means at this moment, but as it is usual to say "little by little the bird makes it's nest, so I work with what I have. When I began to get information about the loans such as those provided by Zidisha, I'm sure that I will one day arrive at a better life, thanks to you.
I am an organic farmer growing various vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, eggplant/aubergines, zucchini, mint and beets. I sell the lettuce on the export market to better earn my living, because here the farmers do not plan their production and at harvest time the market is always saturated and the customers set the price. This is why I sell my lettuce in the Ivory Coast.
I am a vegetable farmer but I consider myself a professional because of all the training I have done in various aspects of farming, including production, cost management, and making compost. I have mastered my farm although I employ a consultant to follow me and I pay him at the end of the season.
Here in Bobo-Dioulasso it costs 75 to 85 CFA francs to produce a kilogram of lettuce, and it costs 350 FCFA o transport it to the market in Lagos. That kilo of lettuce sells there for 1,050 FCFA, so by exporting it I earn between 500 and 600 CFA francs per kilo, with quarterly production between 1,100 to 1,500 kilos. Production takes 45 days. The rest of the farm's produce is sold here in Bobo by my wife, which also has its benefits. Without a woman managing the family is very difficult, and my farm is a family operation that sustains all of us.
Because my products are organic, my customers always wait patiently for me. Because of the diseases that strike us here in Africa, people have begun to food products that can prevent disease, and the shopping markets also require these qualities. I'm lucky to be able to sell what I grow without anxiety. The Ivory Coast is more developed than other countries, and has strict controls, which is why organic crops sell well. With the train it takes 2 to 3 days to get the produce to market, and if you use chemicals the crops can very easily rot and you lose everything on the way to market.
Except that pont, the profitability of my farm is on the right track, and like anything you need a little competition to move forward. I do everything to stay ahead, because I inherited this business from my dad and I have been a vegetable farmer since I was young. I do not give bad products to the customers who have confidence in me, because if you lose the trust of your customers, you everything in life. It is in this work that I am able to provide for my children's education, healthcare and other expenses, and given that the African family is large, you really have to do things well to get by.
In Bobo a kilogram of lettuce sells for between 125 to 175 FCFA, and the others speculate by selling their produce outside in the sun, which completes their losses to the benefit of a competent producer who masters production costs.
This is why I seek your financial support to strengthen the capacity of my operation in transport, because we are at the beginning of the season. It is always difficult to get started because you need many things, such as packaging, rope and transportation to Abidjan. My family farm is 2,000 square meters and I am always looking to be able to compete in the market.
I'm on my 4 th Zidisha loan which has allowed me to be able to operate 2 more hactars for market gardening of several speculations, such as lettuce, tomato, cabbage, beet at your peril and mint which is appreciated by my customers in the interior of my country and in the neighboring countries, too, therefore I plan to buy a big bike pump amounting to $750, and $300 for pipes and other accessories such as digging a small water reservoir in the middle of my farm which will facilitate watering costing up to $350 which will be financed by myself, because with your support I was able to save part of my earnings to gain additional funding if you can help me quickly again as you have done for my previous loans, and I will always be grateful. I am a good example in my district thanks to you.
Increase organic farm production capacity
I am married, I have a wife and I am a father of 5 children. I am from a large family of 14 children, my father had 2 wives, and I am the eldest of his children. This makes me primarily responsible for the family, and I am the head of the family since the death of my father more than 15 years ago. Since that time I have grown and sold produce here in Bobo-Dioulasso. Bobo is an area that produces a lot of lettuce, so the price is low and that is not good for my family. This is why I started to go in Cote d'Ivoire to sell my produce where the market recognizes its quality of organic products. I work to conserve my produce for export, as the distance from Bobo to Abidjan is more than 1,000 km, and I go by train to pay less for transport.
The consumers who buy my produces always appreciate them and I am proud of that. I have little means at this moment, but as it is usual to say "little by little the bird makes it's nest, so I work with what I have. When I began to get information about the loans such as those provided by Zidisha, I'm sure that I will one day arrive at a better life, thanks to you.
I am an organic farmer growing various vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, eggplant/aubergines, zucchini, mint and beets. I sell the lettuce on the export market to better earn my living, because here the farmers do not plan their production and at harvest time the market is always saturated and the customers set the price. This is why I sell my lettuce in the Ivory Coast.
I am a vegetable farmer but I consider myself a professional because of all the training I have done in various aspects of farming, including production, cost management, and making compost. I have mastered my farm although I employ a consultant to follow me and I pay him at the end of the season.
Here in Bobo-Dioulasso it costs 75 to 85 CFA francs to produce a kilogram of lettuce, and it costs 350 FCFA o transport it to the market in Lagos. That kilo of lettuce sells there for 1,050 FCFA, so by exporting it I earn between 500 and 600 CFA francs per kilo, with quarterly production between 1,100 to 1,500 kilos. Production takes 45 days. The rest of the farm's produce is sold here in Bobo by my wife, which also has its benefits. Without a woman managing the family is very difficult, and my farm is a family operation that sustains all of us.
Because my products are organic, my customers always wait patiently for me. Because of the diseases that strike us here in Africa, people have begun to food products that can prevent disease, and the shopping markets also require these qualities. I'm lucky to be able to sell what I grow without anxiety. The Ivory Coast is more developed than other countries, and has strict controls, which is why organic crops sell well. With the train it takes 2 to 3 days to get the produce to market, and if you use chemicals the crops can very easily rot and you lose everything on the way to market.
Except that pont, the profitability of my farm is on the right track, and like anything you need a little competition to move forward. I do everything to stay ahead, because I inherited this business from my dad and I have been a vegetable farmer since I was young. I do not give bad products to the customers who have confidence in me, because if you lose the trust of your customers, you everything in life. It is in this work that I am able to provide for my children's education, healthcare and other expenses, and given that the African family is large, you really have to do things well to get by.
In Bobo a kilogram of lettuce sells for between 125 to 175 FCFA, and the others speculate by selling their produce outside in the sun, which completes their losses to the benefit of a competent producer who masters production costs.
This is why I seek your financial support to strengthen the capacity of my operation in transport, because we are at the beginning of the season. It is always difficult to get started because you need many things, such as packaging, rope and transportation to Abidjan. My family farm is 2,000 square meters and I am always looking to be able to compete in the market.
I'm on my 4 th Zidisha loan which has allowed me to be able to operate 2 more hactars for market gardening of several speculations, such as lettuce, tomato, cabbage, beet at your peril and mint which is appreciated by my customers in the interior of my country and in the neighboring countries, too, therefore I plan to buy a big bike pump amounting to $750, and $300 for pipes and other accessories such as digging a small water reservoir in the middle of my farm which will facilitate watering costing up to $350 which will be financed by myself, because with your support I was able to save part of my earnings to gain additional funding if you can help me quickly again as you have done for my previous loans, and I will always be grateful. I am a good example in my district thanks to you.