Acquiring KARI improved Kienyeji chicks

Entrepreneur

About Me

My name is Simple Simon Macharia, an IT guy with great interest in agriculture. I am passionate about technology and agriculture. 12 years ago, I realised that my salary is not the way to financial independence and decided to venture into business. I started off with a small cyber cafe and computer repair business where i employed 2 people. A few years later, was able to venture into distributing internet service via wireless networks. I ran the business for around 7 years while still attending college but later sold the business to fund college and restrategise after the birth of my first son. I also got a full time job in a small telecommunications company but the desire to be in business still consumed me.I then decided to venture into farming with a focus on poultry keeping after realising the huge deficiency in supply of eggs and meat presented a business oportunity.

My Business

I have a full time job as a network engineer but my business is farming. I have a small farm in Embu, Kenya where I keep a few goats and cows, grow sunflower and raise chicken. I currently have 650 layers and looking to grow the number to 2000 by end of the year. In addition to the layers, i have about 35 goats and 4 cows under the care of 2 hired farmhands. Due to the huge demand for eggs, i buy eggs from other farmers to add to the 120 trays of eggs that we produce in a week. I currently sell 300 trays a week and the demand is still high so i still need to add more chicken.

Loan Proposal

In my update of what i did with my previous loans, I have mentioned increasing capacity of my existing chicken farm since the poultry structures are full. I used previous loans to get materials for the new chicken houses and I will now place my order for KARI improved kienyeji chicks. The breeder has a waiting list of 6 weeks and i will prepare to receive them after this period.

Income Source

I have been lucky and blessed to avoid the worst of the economic impact of Covid 19. The fact that i am in the essential business of food production has cushioned me from the full effect of the pandemic. On the market end, while a lot of people have experienced eroded purchasing power, their expenditure on food and agricultural products has actually risen due to the prolonged stay at home. The closure of schools also means that families have higher demand for my produce.

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