GRADUATES IN AGRICULTURE PROJECT

BRONG - AHAFO
WENCHI - SUBINSO

BUSINESS PLAN

BY

YAE TEAM

ghanagiap@gmail.com
 Table of Content
Table of Content
Executive Summary
Business Description

Products and services

products and services

The market

The Opportunity

The Solution
Competition
Operations

Management Team

Risks & Opportunity

Financial Summary
Capital Requirements

1. Business Description

1.1 Mission Statement

1.2 Values and Vision
1.3 Industry Overview

1.4 Company Description

1.5 History and Current Status

1.6 Goals and Objectives
1.7 Critical Success Factors

1.8 Company Ownership

2. Products / Services
2.1 Product / Service Description
2.2 Unique Features or Proprietary Aspects

2.3 Research and Development

2.4 Production
2.5 New and Follow-on Products & Services 31

3. The Market
3.1 Industry Analysis
3.2 Market Analysis
3.3 Competitor Analysis

4. Marketing & Sales

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Market Segmentation Strategy
4.3 Targeting Strategy

4.4 Positioning Strategy

4.5 Product/Service Strategy

4.6 Pricing Strategy
4.7 Distribution Channels

4.8 Promotion and Advertising Strategy

4.9 Sales Strategy

4.10 Sales Forecasts
5. Development

5.1 Development Strategy

5.2 Development Timeline

5.3 Development Expenses

6. Management
6.1 Company Organization

6.2 Management Team

6.3 Management Structure and Style
6.4 Ownership

6.5 Professional and Advisory Support

6.6 Board of [Advisors OR Directors]

7. Operations
7.1 Operations Strategy

7.2 Scope of Operations

7.3 Ongoing Operations

7.4 Location
7.5 Personnel
7.6 Production

7.7 Operations Expenses

7.8 Legal Environment
7.9 Inventory

7.10 Suppliers

7.11 Credit Policies

8. Financials
8.1 Start-up Funds

8.2 Income Statement

8.3 Balance Sheet

8.4 Cash Flow
8.5 Break-Even Analysis

8.6 Financial History and Analysis

9. Offering / Funding Request

9.1 Offer
9.2 Capital Requirements

9.3 Risk/Opportunity

9.4 Valuation of Business

9.5 Exit Strategy

10. Implementation
10.1 Year 1

10.2 Subsequent years

10.3 Contingency plan

11. Refining the Plan

11.1 For Raising Capital
 Executive Summary
Graduates in Agricultural projects is a takeover project, the Venture was established in the
Brong-Ahafo Region Wenchi in the year 2013, with the sole aim of making profit and also
helping to reduce poverty within the Region through mushroom cultivation. The venture plans to
build a strong market position in the Ghana due to the high demand of quality and edible
mushrooms in Ghana.
Project Description
Graduates in Agricultural project is a project that was planned and designed purposely for
unemployed graduates and the youth precisely. Unemployment has become a canker that the
country is seriously working hard to reduce, this has been our main source of motivation to come
out with this special project to equip, empower and sensitize the youth to realize that they can do
something for themselves rather than depending on white color jobs.

KEY OBJECTIVES
 To create job opportunities for many youth in Wenchi
 To explore the ever growing demand for mushroom in Ghana and across the Globe
 To aid small-scale farmers to produce quality and edible mushrooms for the global market
 To train unemployed and will individuals in mushroom production so as to earn a living
 To enhance the knowledge of mushroom produce on market sales and value added
service
 To support mushroom farmers on newer innovations in mushroom production
 To build an engineered mushroom laboratory that will safeguard mushrooms for
consumption
 The overall objective of the project is in accordance with the government agricultural
policy of increasing food production and diversification of the present farming systems so
as to attain sustainable food security and subsequent poverty reduction.
 The project is also in accordance with the government’s initiative of one district one
factory program for jobs creation and moving Ghana beyond aid.

OUR VISION

To become the leading mushroom production firm with value-added services across Ghana,
Africa and the rest of the world.

MISSION

Our mission is to produce high quality compost bags for smallholder farmers not just in Brong-
Ahafo but across the country and also become a renowned resource training firm for mushroom
production in Africa within the next ten years.
Products and Services
The enterprise produces quality and edible brown oyster mushrooms, white oyster mushrooms
and oil palm mushrooms precisely. The oyster mushroom is one of the easily cultivated
mushrooms in the world, oyster mushroom have a white to light brown to a darker brown, funel-
shaped cap, with whitish-yellow gills running up a short off-center stem with a white flesh.

The high fiber and beneficial protein content along with the low-fat content mkes them an ideal
food for any individual wishing to combat diabetes naturally. Guanide, a compound contained in
the oyster mushrooms exerts powerful anti-hyperglycemic effect, natrally lowering blood sugar
levels. This has call for the high demand of oyster mushroom within Ghana and many other
countries for domestic consumption and industrial use.

The enterprise is already producing flesh mushrooms but with the aim of expanding and
increasing production rate as well as producing powdered and dried mushrooms to supply
market demand all year round and also export a percentage of the produce.

This project will enhance employment within the Wenchi community and the Region as a whole,
train and equip people in mushroom cultivation and also in accordance with the government
agricultural policy of increasing food production and diversification of the present farming
systems so as to attain sustainable food security and subsequent poverty reduction through
mushroom cultivation.
The Market
Mushroom farming has become the new Gold mine in Ghana with most farmers rushing to get a
piece of the pie. The mushroom growing industry in Ghana has recently been revived as more
people are becoming aware of the benefit of consuming mushroom. This project is a taken-over
project as the enterprise has been in existence for the past seven years and can boast of
costumers within all corners of the country who buy ready compost bags and fresh mushrooms
either for domestic consumption or for the production of mushroom bread, shito, Pizza, drink and
local dish at the various restaurants and hotels across the country.

Supplying of mushrooms to meet market demand within the municipality and the Region as a
whole has become a challenge since the demand is relatively high. A research conducted by Mr.
Devine Buo, the National Agri-Business Advisor of the International Fertilizer Development
Center (IFDC), revealed that mushroom has a lot of potential for Ghana, he said “there is an
untapped market for mushroom outside the country and called on the government to
assist the mushroom farmers with infrastructure and technological training to produce
more to meet the demand”. The project has established a cropping house in Sunyani and
looking forward to establish one in Kumasi, Accra and Dormaa-Ahenkro to supply fresh, dried
and powdered mushrooms.

The powdered and dried mushrooms will be packaged and supplied to various targets such as
super-markets, marts, malls, restaurants, value added resellers etc. as many of them has
already call for us to supply them through a market proposal we sent to them. The nutritional
department under the Ministry of Health (MOH) has also endorsed a proposal we sent to them to
supply them with quality packaged mushroom powder.

The venture will also adopt the digital marketing strategy where the products will be advertised.
We will also partner with the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Information to educate
the general public on the need to eat mushrooms the benefits the will get thereby reducing
cholesterol and nutritional related diseases and promoting our market shares.
The Opportunity and solution
Edible mushroom availability In Ghana now has reduced drastically due bad agricultural
practices such as application of weedicides, bushfires and illegal lumbering of trees as well as
unfavorable weather conditions. This has call for the need to domestify wild mushrooms and use
the appropriate technology to produce domestically to meet demand for mushrooms, both within
and outside the country.

Vegetarians, diabetic patients and people who need mushrooms in other to stay healthier are no
more getting the mushrooms on market and the only alternative they have is to depend on
fishes. People are compelled to wait till rainy seasons before they can get mushrooms and the
most pathetic aspect is its inadequacy. The venture is already in operation and looking forward
to expand and open branches to supply mushrooms to meet the high market demand within the
municipality and the Country as whole.

The venture will supply fresh, dried and powdered mushroom to target group such as the
nutritional department under the ministry of health (MOH) nationwide, supermarkets, malls,
marts, shops and value added resellers. The venture will acquire all legal certifications for its
operations and produce quality packaged mushrooms all year round. This new storing and
packing method will address the issue of mushroom shortage during dry seasons and also make
mushrooms available at many marketing joints in Ghana.
Competition
A series of information gathered shows that currently there is few enterprises in Ghana
producing mushrooms and no one is adding value to their products in terms of packaging and
proper preservation methods not to talk of exporting. The venture is the only mushroom
production center in the municipality, other individuals who are into mushroom production
purchase ready composted bags from us and only do cropping. To this, it can be boldly
concluded that there is no competition in the community where the venture operates. At the
Regional level a few more enterprises operates around Techiman, Sunyani and Tano-Boase
and yet they cannot supply demand.

One problem facing the Mushroom industry in Ghana is the poor pricing of mushroom. This
stems on the fact that there is no proper packaging and legal certifications for our products. The
venture will adopt proper and modernized packaging methods to attract market both locally and
internationally and this will make ours unique and attract a good price.

With regards to competitive advantages, two production centers in the Techiman municipality
thus Bemcom Youth Enterprise and the Ghana Permaculture Institute are using the digital
marketing strategy such website and social media to advertise their services and products,
people come from all corners of the world particularly Africa either to purchase mushrooms or
train themselves in mushroom farming. In this light, our venture will also adopt the digital
marketing strategy and it will go beyond website and social media, we will advertise on via
Television, Radio Stations