Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Davidorlah Nigeria Limited and Founder of Davidorlah Farms, Segun Alabi, has said Nigeria has the capacity to eliminate imports of pineapple fruit concentrate, arguing that strategic investments in agricultural infrastructure, value addition and industrialisation will unlock the sector’s full economic potential.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Alabi said his company is set to launch what he described as Nigeria’s first pineapple fruit concentrate as part of its 10th anniversary celebration, while unveiling expanded cold-chain infrastructure aimed at reducing post-harvest losses.
“This year, Davidorlah clocks a decade in agribusiness. So far, I can boldly say that we have had a tremendous impact on Nigeria’s economy in terms of providing job opportunities. Agriculture employs the largest number of people in the economy.”
He added that the company recently introduced a rehabilitation initiative involving inmates of correctional facilities, providing them with agricultural work and stipends to aid their reintegration into society.
“One of the things we did last month was to give opportunity to those in correctional facilities. We call them students. They come to the farm, they work, and we give them stipends. This is to let them know they are not forgotten. When they return to society, they have a new mindset because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
Highlighting the company’s latest investment, Alabi said Davidorlah has completed the first phase of installations for its pineapple concentrate project and now operates a 450-metric-tonne cold storage facility.
“Davidorlah is going to launch the first pineapple fruit concentrate. We now have about 450 metric tonnes of cold-chain storage that can house pineapple fruit concentrate. One of the biggest challenges facing agriculture in Nigeria is post-harvest waste because there is no cold chain to preserve produce.”
“Our objective is to take Nigeria to the point where we do not import anything within the pineapple value chain. Everything beverage companies need already exists in Nigeria, and going into pineapple fruit concentrate will reduce, if not eliminate, imports.”
Reflecting on the company’s decade-long journey, Alabi advised entrepreneurs to embrace patience and remain focused.
“One of the lessons entrepreneurs can learn from our story is patience. There are no shortcuts to prosperity. Many people want a microwave approach to business.”
“In these 10 years, we have learned to focus on one thing. We have cultivated cassava, maize and several other crops, but today we specialise in pineapple. Just pick one produce and specialise because the more energy you devote to it, the more opportunities it opens.”
He also revealed that he recently travelled to the United States in search of investors for bromelain extraction from pineapple waste, describing it as another untapped opportunity within Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
“The waste from pineapple can produce bromelain for pharmaceutical and food-grade purposes. I met a company that has operated for 76 years and they said they had been looking for where to source bromelain. Nigeria has it in abundance. If we create an enabling environment, investors will come.”
“For entrepreneurs, there should be focus, and integrity is a currency.”
On the sector’s challenges, Alabi said inadequate infrastructure remains the biggest obstacle to agricultural growth.
“The challenges can be solved. What we are lacking is infrastructure. Agriculture without infrastructure will cause disruption because it is not sustainable. If we get infrastructure right, everything will return to normal.”
He further argued that Nigeria must prioritise value addition over exporting raw agricultural commodities.
“Exportation of our raw materials is a way to import unemployment.”
“The price of cocoa may fall internationally, but the price of chocolate does not. That tells us industrialisation is the direction we should be heading.”
“I’m expecting Nigeria to establish agricultural industrial parks where our produce can be processed into higher-value products. If we harness the value chain across our agricultural produce, Nigeria will do better.”
Alabi also invited Nigerians to invest in the company’s agricultural scheme, stating that investors can purchase farmland while the company manages the farms and pays annual returns.
He disclosed that a plot currently sells for ₦3 million, with promotional discounts available, adding that investors receive documentation and annual rental income while Davidorlah manages the farms over a five-year period.
Boluwatife Enome
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