1. An Apple orchard in a small town

Lots of Apples.
2. Lots of Apples.....so many that it falls to the ground and wastes

Excess supply in THIS town
3. Supply is so much you are allowed to pick Apples for free..and take home.

In this particular orchard, the exchange rate or trade deficit is immaterial.

You can't sell an apple, it's excess supply.
4. However drive a few miles to the nearest town and Apples are being sold.
The price of Apples here are based on supply from orchards.

More supply, price falls
Less supply, price rises

The trade deficit or $ to ¥ or National debt is immaterial. All that matters is supply
5. Same for these tomatoes

They are everywhere.

If dollar $1 is N1 it does not change the price per basket of tomatoes..IN THIS FIELD
6. Yet a 40kg basket of tomatoes sells for about N31k online. Why?

There is no value chain investment

1. No post harvest processing
2. No storage
3. Poor logistics

That N30k is the opportunity cost of having poor local infrastructure, not the cost of the basket.
One thing you notice is the infrastructure around farms in the abroad, how the produce is aggregated,STORED and processed.

This ensures there are inputs for processing post harvest

In effect, supply after the unnaturally high supply during harvest.
The FGN has about 33 Silos of about 33,000 to 100,000 tonnes. So let's assume 3.3m total capacity, or even 5m

Nigeria is the largest producer of maize in Africa about 10m tonnes a year.

You can see the excess harvest if not consumed or processed, is likely to waste.
You see corn during corn season in 🇳🇬 and prices fall.

After harvest, prices go right back up, not because exchange rate changed or inflation but demand stayed constant while supply fell.

To beat food inflation, you artificially "extend" harvest by processing & storage
In essence, you take tomatoes from this field, store, process, brand, market and distribute.

Thus tomato "harvest" prices stay longer than just harvests periods.
This is what Dangote and others are seeking to accomplish with Dangote Processing Plants.

But infrastructure is so weak that Dangote Tomato struggles to get raw tomatoes, according to Bloomberg.
What Nigeria needs is smaller processing plants in clusters of harvest, maybe in LGAs that are predominately rural.

The US value chain has been processed as key. Processing and Storing
Take cassava.

Go from small scale manual processing to medium scale processing.

These containers process cassava from tuber to flour or paste.

Remember, the goal is to extend the harvest prices and keep supply up.
Think of this.

Nigeria is the worlds largest producer of cassava, yet gari is expensive

Thailand produces less cassava than Nigeria but gets 80% value-added trade-in products.
In summary, move up the value chain.

Prioritise, Storage and processing.

Then harvest prices stay longer.

Even if they are imported, it's a one time CAPEX, but it's payback is lower food inflation.
Dangote tomato link

tomatonews.com/en/nigeria-dan…

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More from @FinPlanKaluAja1

12 Oct
Taking a risk here.

I took time to review the economic achevements, most were "approved", or "launched" or "signed"

However a few are worth highlighing for the positive impact on jobs, GDP and productivity.

a trend
1. The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has seen total additional inflows of around US$2 billion, since the original US$1 billion which the Fund kicked off with in 2012.

Excellent. these funds went to the Morocco fertalizer deal. CAPEX and Savings, local jobs
2. 156km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail nearing completion. 327km Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail completed and commissioned.

Excellent, aids productivity, extends roads life, opens up commerce.
Read 17 tweets
9 Oct
When $1 increases to N700, casaava price in my village stay same. Why? There is excess supply of cassava in my village

But in the small town, near my village, prices go up. Why? Less supply of cassava and more demand

This main issue is local production.
If local production is up, then the exchange rate is not material.

The price hikes are not caused by the $ exchange rate but by the weakness of local production to meet local demand.

Local prices can't rise, if there is local intense competition aka supply.
Two shops selling egusi

Irrespective of exchange rates, mama Dollar can't increase her price per pot, if mama Naira keeps hers prices fixed.

Competition breeds productivity, which drops prices.

Mama dollar must find another way to sell same pot at same price eg, use solar.
Read 6 tweets
7 Oct
Angel Investing & VCs

For tech startups, equity funding makes sense because R&D is highly intangible & tends to be specific to the firm in which it is being used, it has limited liquidation value. The use of debt tends to decrease with asset intangibility. Tom Nicholas, Harvard
Angel investors provide hands-on equity finance. They provide entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, & access to their business contacts. They often have industry expertise & can help young companies raise additional funding.
Jason Calacanis summarized the four inputs of angels as “money, time, network, expertise.”

There are 334,680 active angel investors in the US, according to the Center for Venture Research. A typical angel puts about 10 percent of his or her wealth into angel investment.
Read 7 tweets
6 Oct
The problem is structural.

Nigeria exports to Netherland: N298B
Nigeria imports from Netherland: N567B

If you import, you need $, so if you import more, do you need more or less dollars?

Ans: More $. Hence Naira weakens

Yes, Export oil to the Netherlands, Import PMS ImageImage
Nigeria exports to India: N949B
Nigeria imports from India: 570B

Nigeria exports Natural Gas to India,
Nigeria imports Gas Oil from India

Even blood? Nigeria imports blood? (remind me to write about abattoirs) ImageImage
Nigeria exports to Spain: N524B
Nigeria imports from Spain: N93B

Nigeria exports Petroleum Oil to Spain,
Nigeria imports Petroleum Bitumen from Spain ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
4 Oct
You want a strong currency, you export.

Nigeria technically has no exports apart from oil. This data map is 2019, and Cocoa is a "rounding error".

Keep in mind, Exports are NOT the only way to get forex, but so far, on exports, the nation has failed.

Data Source: Harvard KSG Image
It gets worse.

"Nigeria's⁩ largest goods exports are in ⁨low and moderate⁩ complexity products"

translation? anyone can export crude oil, the wealth is in adding value to the crude oil or cocoa exports Image
"Diversifying the economy" is all talk

The Nigeria economy is diversified, Oil is less than 15% of GDP. Problem is Nigeria has only one export source of Forex. Remove remittances, the Nigeria Naira will collapse.

The data shows Nigeria has put all its eggs in the oil basket Image
Read 5 tweets
27 Sep
lets talk fx reserves

See the box on left called "Oil Revenues"?

When Nigeria sells Crude oil, it's paid to a JP Morgan/NNPC/CBN account in USD $

CBN then buys the $ from the Federation and gives the Federation account Naira. CBN then owns the Fx reserves, NOT the Federation
CBN's mandate is to maintain foreign reserves to promote monetary and price stability.

How? via Monetary means, it setting interest rates and exchange rates.
CBN really is very concerned with inflation, it wants it to stay low, it keeps it low by making cash "expensive"
If CBN believes inflation is going up? it raises rates (MPR) this makes cash expensive to get i.e bank interest.

if CBN want to boost the economy, it drops rates (MPR) this makes cash "cheap" to get so SMEs can grow
Read 7 tweets

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