26
THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER' OCTOBER 20
2012
BUSINESS PEOPLE
'NIGERIA'S AGRIC EXPORT 9 PERCENT LESSIBA~N IT WAS 30YEARSAGO' MANAGING DIREGORAND FOUNDING PARTNER OF NPK LTD, CAPTAIN WILLIAM BYRD, FIRSTVISITED NIGERIA AS IN-COUNTRY MANAGER FOR THE U.s STATE DEPARTMENTTO MANAGE A PROJEG TD BUILD ACOMPUTER SIMULATION CENTRE FORTHE NIGERIAN MILITARY. FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OFTHE PROJEG BYRD BUILT A JOINT VENTURE COMPANYCALLED EVR LTD WITHHANFENG EVERGREEN OFTORONTO CANADA AS THE MAIN JOINT VENTURE PARTNER. TOGETHER THEY IMPORT FERTILIZER INTO NIGERIA HE WAS ATTHE NIGERIANS IN DIASPORA CONFERENCE ON ATTRAGING FOREIGN DIREG INVESTMENTS TO NIGERIA RECENTLY IN WASHINGTON DC SHAKA MOMODU WHO WAS ATTHE CONFERENCE, HAD A BRIEF INTERVIEW WITH HIM lIS abouI your company NPK Ferfiliun7 We are a romp<tny that has hem irM..i.Vti! in the agric seckr for a nl.l.ll'lbe- of ~ in N"~ 1'\It" lived here for nmrIy 10 ye;us and I am a n5denI cilizBl ci Nigeria now, which is flit\': for an American Vk wHh owe".,...., I-lanfmg Ih~ out ofTormto Canada: and they have over 10 plan ts in China and Indoneiia which they've built and ';her. oper.!te. So we ~ II's time to build plants in N'tgeia to rut cost. of importatial and participate in the .:tgric canJIl\y throughou1 So we've not built a plant in N'JSl.'ria yet; \\"e are still
T: I
"'""'" _
"""'=
~
in the proc:es& of planning and our firooll'".ciaI ~ are looking at the opportwul)~ !he individual sta~ that ....'ant to partrll.'J" with us are also looking at the opporturuty and wt'll get started ....ith that as 9001'\ a.. t'- dl->liiils are wfll'i,;ed Olll ,.\11").' wot.Bl! Moll with y~ .,...... _ ,o\'.·e an I!lUSbng p\;a ~ L.·.·.i?·.u...te wf.'..rn. has ~ m .... a liwe oo,,,=" a year now 'Ne hope
'" wOO< through !hoi ~ty wilI]J!lom and also the~g-~~ with s&ab?:J"M" also look al their mvin:nmenl
.... u,.;, "" .... _
....
~,.,..no..
tions. "~have!D1le aogillEEi uog amtraints
be::ause of inputs mID dle plnn!
So ill lire la!;I ZO. years !fOtl luror bem Imporling7 Yes,. we have been importing fe1illzer through our sister amputy EVR rut of KadW\a and that has been a direct path from our factory productioo in the Far East
Naw tJull you pllln to build your plant. wluJt azpodly IDe ~ looking at given Nigr!:risr6 vast agrladluml pokntinl1 \-\k wwld like to do a 6OO,(lD Mf plant ..... hid\ ...."OUld be split beh-.~ uP c • NI'K so we can~' . ....r\ aJ"KI market for...· -t"'~ ttl the broadeI' "< ..,...,.
/>Jv,o •• 6i-* rnctUi'iS ritm now we'd like to have the pnt!d funded and off the ground. Again seIEctim pnxI!S6 is still . as to the location and wtuch stale best advantage to fast back this into production ~ ha\'e been ql!rating from Kaduna, and Ahuja and WE! haw wruehouses.in lap because the importalioo comes through the
~the
pam then>
HoW chaI~ng 15 il tWing f1usi_ in N/~ amfhos your ~I ~'-"1Ih7
I think it is chalb-.ging doin business anywhere On the planet. I dQr.~ .. . Nigma is t"XIusiw' J.-' L":':'"tIllI\khow easy it j,. ___ • • ... now I ....... or . _ .... oo~Butlwillsay uus, Nigeria has a IaJger opportunity th.m alrnc:& anywhere else on the pl1lnet right now 10 mgase in businI!!i5 expansial and i.a:es8 a larger Il\iI.I'ket through a f;JSt . business enabling envinJnmmL ~ by the rungestioo at ports? Yes, but they are fOOng tNt Are the roads bad lor the rnqvemenl pi products acms& the country'
Yes. but thef are ~
that as well II you look down the rood in ten years as we do, Nigeria is gang to be a house hold rome a~ the world. Eve-ybOOy is gOng 10 look to Nigeria as the product c:i SUCO!9S in Y'kst Africa of how the rew emnomies of the wcrid an!' gcing 10 be sIructun!d. You couldn't put a petnx:hemical plant in the US;: it will take yuu 10 )~ to gel approval to do that. and the maJt..et is ~ 100 saturated e\'m if you did. But in A..~ you can Fast back these pro;ros C!'\.'8"I with !IIJfJle ~ the chalWo";: :~Iil~ ~ look at and ':.,lfS fUSlloo hard to go there. rvt' 1ivOO ......... ......., ..... we know thai the goo.'ftllmI.'I'Il is buikl.ms an enabling environment for us to CIlI'I'Ie and uwesters are emted. \\\! are with a nunToer of investOfs out of the UAE and the US and tt-ey are more than read}' 10 (OI1l(' and du busult$ What ....-e are dcing no\\' is just making sure lhat our l'!rlgInI: ~ structure and sire location plan is the l'C5t that It can be to get this thing going and wt.,'U Jile
roc,.... ....
Cont'donPJ.17
OCTOOlR 20 -TlUSDAY, ntESATURDAYIJEWSPI\P'ER
BUSINESS PEOPLE 'NIGERIA'S AGRIC EXPORT 9 PERCENT LESS THAN !TWAS 30 YEARS AGO'
NIGERIAHASALARGER OPPORlUNITYTHAN ALMOST ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET RIGHT NOWTO ENGAGE IN BUSINESS EXPANSION AND ACCESS ALARGER MARKETTHROUGH AFAST GROWING BUSINESS ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
DESTINY CATALYST wmtUDEME ARCHIBONG uduu_d_s@rri' a-
REDEFINING SUCCESS