There is no doubt that one of the most sought- for products in any society is food items. Due to a mass migration of people from one part of the world to the other especially from Nigeria to Europe and USA, lots of opportunities have been opened to businessmen and women who have the quest to export foodstuffs to these countries.
There are hundreds of articles published on this topic before now and this is the second article SMESmedia will publish on this topic.
There are 5 ways to approach this business which is listed below;
- Relatives or Friends abroad:
If you’re lucky to have your family or friends overseas, that may be a good opportunity to make an easy entrance into the international market. That is if they’re willing to do business with you. They can help you tell their fellow Nigerians around them that they have foods from Africa which is a big business over there.
The advantage
Knowing people who share the same vision with you abroad could bring succor to your business in so many ways. Such as:
- Secured Payment: No one will be crazy enough to send money to you without seeing what they’re paying for and am sure you will never send products to anyone without being sure of the payment. Therefore having someone over there will eliminate lots of hitches.
- Goods received by known person: In this situation, you know the person receiving your items, therefore, the issue with recipient and contact address is also eliminated.
- No need to prospect for buyers abroad: it is very expensive prospecting for buyers abroad, this requires a frantic effort of which one with little or no enough capital can’t embark on.
- Small-scale exportation: you can start on a small scale since it’s a family thing.
- Peace of mind: Trust is one of the factors that consolidate relationship in any business.
- No documentation required: There is required documentation you must meet before starting your foodstuff exportation this method will almost eliminate this huddles.
Disadvantages
Any method that has an advantage will also have a disadvantage. One of the many disadvantages of this system is the risk of product confiscation as a result of not meeting the standard requirements or the other, though this may not happen often, once a while you stand a chance of losing your parcel to customs either at home or abroad.
- International Agent:
The use of International agents to send your items abroad is another way to enter into international market. Although this will be possible if you already have buyers of your products oversea then using an international agent will make it possible to pass your products at the airport for embarkation. This method still remains an informal method since you only supply to someone you’re familiar with.
- Have a brand:
One of the ways to easily sell abroad is to have a brand in the market. For someone who wants to go into foodstuff exportation, the first thing you need to do is to register a brand name for all your products just like AYOOLA food which is one of the known names in the industry. It is not necessary to own a factory before you have a brand, decide on the niche to service, do a name search and register it, then contract the manufacturing and the packaging to meet the international standard benchmark, get approved by NAFDAC then enlist your products on different B2B websites for popularity and recognition. You can also distribute your products to the local supermarket around you and nationwide.
- Join Nigeria chamber of commerce:
Most times if not all the times, foreign investors contact the chambers of commerce of the country or state they want to invest in for inquiries and to make genuine contact with suppliers. If you’re a registered member of this chamber at this point, you stand a chance of being contacted for such opportunities. But you must have a system in place as a member of the chamber of commerce such as a registered business with contact address.
- Join membership sites like Alibaba, Tradekey.com:
This is another method of entering into an international trade. By joining this sites, your products stand a chance of being viewed by millions of buyers around the world every month. You can register as a free member or as a premium member. As a free member you may not have the trust symbol on your site which reduces the chances of being contacted by 100%, therefore the premium is far better than the free membership. You can get the list of some b2b website here.
By Ozoemena O. Charles
CE O at Zuma Marketing Limited
and Publisher at SMEsmedia.com
Zuma Marketing is a contemporary company that deals in audio-visual products and integration, modern teaching aids and educational resources. Since 2012,ZML has provided thousands of clients with reliable and cost-efficient technology solutions for their collaboration, presentation and Educational needs.
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this article, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the economy or work conditions.
Also, the Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slights of specific persons, peoples, or organizations are unintentional.
In practical advice, publications like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to rely on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
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