This time in the history of Nigeria presents several challenges and opportunities for farmers and agro-processors. Many of these challenges require financial support for us to adequately combat them. This article is about YIEDP - an opportunity available to agricultural businesses to grow their businesses to a higher level.

Are you in the agricultural field with a business idea that is creative enough to create wealth and employment? YIEDP presents an opportunity for you to grow your ideas and live your dreams.

What Exactly is YIEDP?

YIEDP represents Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Program. The aim is to harness the latent entrepreneurial spirit among a team of youths by providing timely and affordable loans for the implementation of their business ideas.

Am I Eligible to Apply for YIEDP?

To be eligible, you have to fit into the following criteria:

• Youth Corps members who are still serving
• Non-NYSC whose post NYSC has not exceeded 5
  years
• Artisans

How Can I Apply for YIEDP?

Application can be done only through online registration via Heritage Bank Portal. Application can also be submitted by using the online portal of other banks who will be lending in subsequent times.

Is My Business Eligible to Apply?

Businesses under this program are startups and projects meant for expansion with focus on serving and young graduates in the following sub-sectors:

• Agro-allied
• Food processing/Preservation
• Arts and Crafts
• Manufacturing/Cottage Industry
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
• Construction Support
• Power and Energy
• Education and Financial Inclusion
• Film and Photography
• Automobile
• Others

Agribusiness Ideas for Would-be Farmers

However, for those with agricultural interest who do not have an idea, here is a list of business ideas to help you create your own idea for this opportunity.

Crop Cultivation

You can explore the field of cultivating, processing and selling food in your metropolis. An idea like this can be expanded to the realm of supply. This will create employment and turn your idea to a more reliable source of income. The advantage of crop cultivation is to make food readily available to people within or around a particular place. It also makes fresh vegetables and fruits and meat products available to customers when they need them.

Growing up in an environment where there are many farmers opened my eyes to this opportunity. There was a fresh vegetables farmer who always supplies vegetables to us anytime we request for them from the farm. The farmer makes money daily from our neighborhood and others. He keeps improving on his farm production until it becomes bigger.

Crop cultivation is a good way to start and build one’s business ideas overtime.

Rabbit Rearing

Personally, I never knew rearing rabbits could be so lucrative until I saw my younger brother selling rabbits to people and making good money. I laugh a lot when I recall this amazing act of a fourteen year old boy.

Many of us are very familiar with cattle rearing but are unaware of the wealth we can create in our cities and towns through rabbit rearing. Rearing rabbits can be on a large scale or small scale. In fact, one can combine it with other means to create wealth.

Fresh Fruits

It is quite interesting for me discussing several ideas. Why? I see how people make money daily through agriculture. It is inevitable for humans to satisfy their mouth daily. Agriculture is on the top list of ideas that is worth investing money, time and energy. There are fruits that are well known for the rainy seasons and there are those famous during dry seasons.

Whichever is the case, creating an idea of fruits farm will be a great means of
creating wealth. You can sell your fruits in the market places, get them packaged for offices, make fruit juices and drinks, and supply fruits to companies producing fruit juices and lots more.

Snail Farming

If you’ve ever been in my shoes, you would understand how it feels when you desire to eat snails diced with pepper. This makes me a customer to snail farms and restaurants where snails are diced with pepper.

Hmmm! I guess you are salivating right now.

This is telling you how lucrative the agricultural industry is. Snail farming is a lovely idea which one can merge with other agricultural businesses to create a good idea.

Grasscutter Farming

This is a lucrative means of creating wealth. The grasscutters can reach up to 60 centimeters in length. Rearing them is one good way to reduce the bush trade which has a devastating effect on wildlife in Africa.  It is quite tasking to engage in
grasscutter farming but it is profitable and relevant.

A Clarion Call

Our so-called local people silently make a lot of money via farming while we the social guys and ladies package ourselves in suits, pencil skirts and trousers with little cash, pondering on how to get a good job. I write this as a clarion call to you and me to get inspired and utilize the wide range of opportunities to create ideas in the agricultural field, which will be qualified for the Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Program.

These are few agricultural businesses out of a wide range of opportunities to explore in the agricultural field. You can add yours to the list.

Click Here to Apply for YIEDP

Get more information at the YIEDP portal here.