Wednesday, July 6, 2011

BUSINESS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN MULENGE

COW SLAUGHTERING, PROCESSING AND PACKAGING:
AN UNTAPPED GOLDMINE IN MULENGE.

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Under the soon to be uncoverded Mulenge vision 2025, Mulenge will be erecting commercial and business buildings,in what will be the Minembwe city, sooner rather than later. Contrary to popular belief, Minembwe is on its way to be a dream city for business, and tourism. It is time to position yourself for the soon booming opportunities,first in the farming sector.
Mulenge is the first cow populated area in Southern Kivu (DRC).
A lot as been said about the Banyamulenge people’s love for their cows. Sometimes, ignorant people on the matter of cow business use this as a critic to Banyamulenge people as herdmen.But, honestly speaking, any enlightened person knows that Cows are one livestock that seems comparable to oil palm trees because of the various uses which it different parts can be put into. Nothing seems to be a waste, even their dung’s can be processed into fertilizers and used to nourish plants, not to mention biogas production.

Speaking in business language consider these facts:

1. Beef produced from the slaughtering and processing of cow are good source of protein
2.The bones and blood sold for feed millers to be processed into bone and blood meal respectively are used mainly in the poultry industry.
3. The horns and hoofs are used in the production of fertilizers and buttons while the hides and skin are further processed and used in the production of shoes, wallets, belts and watch straps amongst others.

Due to the usefulness of the component parts of a cow, different industries can be built in Mulenge, as they would be attached to the slaughtering, processing and packaging of the product and this is where the gouvernment if we had one that cared about Banyamulenge should come in and create the enabling environment to stimulate more investment in this sector because of the benefit of employment generation and increase in the gross domestic product {GDP} of the country amongst others. But, given that we cannot realistically expect the Congolese government to even think of facilitating such opportunity, I am calling on Banyamulenge business minded individuals and their foreigner business friends to step up the plate and start such profitable businesses in Mulenge.
I know,you are wondering how one would even think of that in an environment with no electricity. But, that is exactly the point. Electricity! why not turn this into another business opportunity among others! You can easily invest in micro-hydraulic plant, and make alot of Cash.

Back to cow business related opportunities. Some of the industries attached to these single livestock include the following:
a. meat processing plant,
b .operating a cold room ,
c. meat delivery vans,
d. operating a ranch,
f. operating an abattoir,
g. bone meal processing plant,
h. blood meal processing plant,
i.hide and skin processing plant and
j. horn and hoof processing plant.

Mince Meat Processing Plant:

There is a growing need for hygienically prepared and package beef product in East Africa and this is basically been fueled by the growing middle class income earners in the region. This trend is further deepen by the need for hygienically prepared and package beef by corporate consumers and used in the production of sausage rolls ,meat pies ,gala etc. Some of the corporate clients that require the product include hotels, supermarkets, fast food eateries and multi-nationals like MONUC.

Operating Cold Room Service:

Attaching a cold room to an abattoir is a very lucrative because beefs have a limited shelf live if not properly stored and storage is usually done after the slaughtering, processing and packaging of the product from where it is sold to retail consumers who usually buy bit by bit. The scope of the cold room should be dependent on the size of the market in question.

Meat Delivery Vans:

In most urban communities it is an unacceptable to sell beef in unhygienic conditions and the Mulenge investors could pioneer the use of special vans in the transportation of beefs from the Minembwe abattoir to consumers in Bukavu, Uvira, Bujumbura, and Kigali. This could create another market for savvy investors to tap into make good returns on investment.Transportation can be from Minembwe to Uvira and other closest cities.

Operating a Ranch ( ferme):

Apart from a few well established cattle ranch in the Northern Kivu ( Masisi areas) with organized management system in place, in Southern Kivu, cattle rearing are mostly done by Banyamulenge herdsmen who move from one location to another in search of water and pasture for the stock and they largely operate with less managerial ability hence get little for their effort. There exists a large opportunity for interested investors who want to invest and run a ranch in Eastern Congo. The opportunities are so great because the market for your product is guaranteed. The investor can choice to buy from the local Banyamulenge herdsmen and sell in abattoir across the region. The business can be started with a average of $10,000 and returns of $ 20,000 in less than 3 months. This is feasible.

Operating an Abattoir:

About 100 hundred cows are slaughtered in Uvira, Bujumbura, and Bukavu abattoir on a daily basis. Buyers of cow parts are readily available because cow meat is about the most common and readily available source of protein in DRC. Operators of the abattoir depending on their financial strength can decide to only provide the physical structure and only tenant to operate shops from there with their tools and pay royalties to you as agreed.

Operating a Bone and Blood Meal Processing Plant:

Another associated business venture which the investor can decide to operate is a bone/blood meal processing plant though the latter is not common in the region. Poultry business isgrowing in EastAfrica because of its short gestation and less electricity input requirements that is why it is one of the preferred investment destination.
Because more than 60 % of operating cost is expended on feeding, operating a bone and blood meal processing plant would greatly yield good returns on investment.

Hide and Skin Processing Plant:

Hides and skin is by far the less utilized bye-product of cows in the DRC because of conflicting interest. There exist a very large and growing market for hide and skin in China and other parts of the world and as far as the demands for shoes,bags,belts and other such product which makes use of leather as there raw material continues to grow , the demand for hide and skin would continue to increase.

Horn and Hoof Processing Plant:

Processing of horn and hoof in Mulenge would certainly generate lots of funds for the investor because not many companies in the region are into it. Horn and hoof can be used in the production of fertilizers,buttons and so many other products.

Should you require more information or a business plan/feasibility study on any of the businesses mentioned above, please do contact the writer.

By
Akim
Journal Minembwe
www.mulenge.blogspot.com
Mulengevision2025@gmail.com

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