Making insecticide has been good business
By Amaka Abayomi
Four year ago, Mrs. Ojuolape Otegbade told her family members she wanted to go into the production and sales of insecticide. They discouraged her. Their contention was that she was illiterate and would not be able to communicate well. Their fear was understandable. But she was determined.
Today, God’s Favour Heritage Insecticide, her firm, is a success. That she takes care of her four children’s education (one in the university and three in private secondary schools) is a measure of that success.
Mrs Otegbade tells her story: “I went into this business due to scarcity of decent casual jobs that I could do and I had to do something to support my family and not be a liability to my family.
“I used to be a distributor of a company that was into the manufacturing of insecticide somewhere at Orile-Ijora. One day, I went there and was told the company has stopped producing but when they saw the despair on my face, they asked if I was interested in producing insecticides. I answered in the affirmative and was directed to one of their suppliers.
“When I got to the supplier and introduced myself, who sent me and my mission, he said it would cost me N10,000 for him to teach me how to mix the chemicals to get the insecticide.”
Since then, there has been no going back for Otegbade as she has dedicated her time and energy in the production of her brand of insecticide.
“After the training, I used N5,000 to buy the chemicals I used for my first production and at the end, I made a profit of N10,000. This made me realize that this business has prospect and I could make a fortune from it.
“God’s Favour Heritage Insecticide kills mosquitoes, cockroaches, crawling and flying insects, millipede, etc. Some have even testified that it kills snakes.”
From that first N10,000 profit she made, there has been no looking back as she has been able to cater for her family and give them quality education
“The road has not been easy from 2008 that I started, but I make bold to say I have no regrets embarking on this line of business because I have been able to sponsor three of my children who are in a private secondary school and the eldest is an undergraduate.”
When asked about patronage of the insecticide, Otegbade said “Patronage has been good and my children have been supportive of me and the business. My two eldest children help mix the chemicals while the younger ones help with pasting the labels on the cans.
“It takes me about 3 hours to mix the chemicals (sniffer, industrial camphor, formalin and kerosene) and bottle them, after which they are ready for sale.
“I sell more than 60 cans weekly and make a daily profit of more than N3,000 which goes to my children’s education and upkeep.
“The product speaks for itself as most times, even before I start to advertise the products, people who have used it demand for it. Sometimes, I don’t have to stress myself in talking as some customers who have used the product testify of its efficacy to others and this makes them demand for it.”
She encourages people, particular women, who want to go into this line business not to derail due to the profits accruable but to strive to produce quality products and retain the patronage of customers.
“I also train people who want to learn about the business on how to source for the materials, the quantity to mix and the steps in mixing the chemicals. The training session costs N25,000 and I especially advice them to be careful when mixing the chemicals. They should also wear mask, gloves and to keep the raw and finished products from the reach of children.”
On the challenges encountered in the business, Otegbade said the recent scarcity and hike in the price of kerosene has affected the quantity of insecticide produced.
“Kerosene is one of the major chemicals I use in producing the insecticide and the scarcity and hike in the price has affected the quantity. Because I still want to retain the quality I’m known for, I decided to reduce the quantity in the cans so as not to make people not trust the product.
“Also, since 90% of my sales are done in the buses, especially those that ply the Oshodi-Ikorodu road, some drivers don’t allow me to sell in their buses, even when I tell them I would pay the transport fare.”
