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Prince Samuel Joseph Samuel, the Executive Chairman of Origin Tech Group
At the launch of the Corporate Farm Model Initiative in Lagos, the Executive Chairman of Origin Tech Group Nigeria, Prince Samuel Joseph Samuel, shared deep insights into the future of agriculture, food security, and the need for private-sector–driven solutions to Nigeria’s agricultural challenges.
Speaking during a fireside chat with Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Director of News at Television Continental (TVC), at the launch of the initiative by its subsidiary, Origin Automobile Works, Prince Samuel Joseph Samuel highlighted the role of corporate farming, structured markets, and technology in transforming the nation’s agricultural value chain.
In this exclusive interview brought to you by Event Diary Lifestyle, the Origin Tech Africa boss discusses the challenges facing Nigerian farmers, the solutions being introduced through the Corporate Farm Model, and his outlook for agriculture in Nigeria over the next decade.
Many Nigerians are becoming more concerned about agriculture and food security. From your perspective, how important is it to bring farmers’ challenges to the attention of policymakers?
Agriculture is extremely important to our national development, and many people—whether in entertainment, culture, or other sectors—are increasingly engaging with farming directly. Farmers are facing significant challenges, and it is essential that their realities are brought to the consciousness of policymakers and decision-makers.
What we are doing through the Corporate Farm initiative is to build a platform where agriculture is taken seriously as a structured and scalable enterprise. Anyone interested in crop production, animal production, or agricultural development should be proud of what is being built here because it represents a genuine attempt to move the sector forward.
Soil preparation and soil health are critical to productivity. What specific support will your organization provide to farmers in this area?
One of the major steps we are taking is the launch of a soil testing laboratory. Through this facility, farmers will be able to access professional soil analysis and expert advice.
Farmers can visit our website, submit a request, and our team of agricultural experts will assess their farms and provide guidance—at a fee—on soil health, nutrient requirements, and farm management.
Our long-term goal is to ensure that every state in Nigeria, and ideally every local government area, has a Corporate Farm hub. Smallholder farmers can then visit these hubs to access technical support, soil services, and professional agricultural guidance.
Pricing remains one of the biggest concerns in agriculture. Middlemen often drive up prices while farmers earn very little. How will your initiative address this challenge?
Pricing instability in agriculture is largely caused by logistics, transportation, and storage problems. From farm to table, Nigeria loses as much as 40 percent of agricultural produce due to waste.
When products are poorly transported, many become damaged or rotten before reaching the market. Traders then increase prices to cover those losses, and consumers ultimately pay more.
Our solution involves a coordinated ecosystem that includes logistics partners, aggregators, and a structured market platform known as Bulk Food.
Under this system, farmers will be registered through aggregators and given guaranteed prices before planting. Once production is completed, harvesters will collect the produce and deliver it directly into the Bulk Food supply chain.
This means farmers already know their earnings before they plant, removing the uncertainty that currently exists in the farm-gate market.
Farmers in some parts of Nigeria are struggling with falling prices and high production costs. What advice would you give to government on balancing farmer welfare with affordable food prices?
The reality is that the past two years have been extremely difficult for both farmers and processors in Nigeria.
However, we must also acknowledge that Nigeria has invested heavily in agriculture over the last four decades—over ₦40 trillion according to some estimates.
The real issue is that agriculture must become market-driven and enterprise-led. Government should focus on setting standards and enabling the private sector to operate effectively.
Rather than intervening through inputs such as fertilizer and seeds, government should focus more on output-based interventions, such as guaranteed purchase programs supported by the private sector.
If systems like Bulk Food had existed several years ago, many farmers facing oversupply today would not be struggling because their produce would already have guaranteed buyers.
Looking ahead, what is your outlook for Nigeria’s agricultural sector over the next decade?
I am optimistic, particularly about what is happening in some progressive states.
For example, in Lagos State, we are seeing significant developments in food automation and supply systems. In the near future, people will be able to order their food supplies digitally for an entire month without visiting a physical market.
Lagos is also developing one of Nigeria’s largest cattle feedlots with about 14,000 cattle and approximately 3,000 milking cows, producing large volumes of fresh milk daily within the state.
This means consumers in Lagos will soon have locally produced fresh milk delivered directly to their homes.
What role will other agricultural states such as Kaduna play in this transformation?
States like Kaduna State are already doing very well in crops like maize, pepper, and tomatoes. Farmers there are incredibly hardworking and productive.
Our strategy is not limited to Lagos. We are already working in more than 30 states across Nigeria.
For example, we are collaborating with Taraba State where large-scale farm estates are being developed, and we are providing agricultural equipment and technical support.
We are also investing in Niger State, where we are constructing one of the largest grain storage silos in the country to help farmers store and sell their produce more efficiently.
Finally, what drives your commitment to investing so heavily in agriculture?
Agriculture is ultimately about people, communities, and national stability.
When rural areas are productive and farmers are earning good incomes, those communities become stable and prosperous. But when rural areas are abandoned and farmers are struggling, insecurity and other social challenges often emerge.
Investing in agriculture is therefore not just about food production—it is about developing rural economies, creating wealth for farmers, and strengthening national stability.
That is why we remain deeply committed to transforming agriculture through innovation, structured financing, and collaboration with both government and private investors.