The sky is the limit for Magito Stores

Keeping chickens was once upon a time seen as a hobby of sorts that involved domesticating what should have been birds of the air. But, those good old days are long, long gone, and what was a fashionable hobby turned into a commercial undertaking in the form of poultry farms which generate streams of income that transform the lives of many.

Again, more and more young people are increasingly turning to poultry farming. This is much unlike the relatively recent past when the business was largely undertaken by the elderly and retired folk.

Poultry farming is increasingly becoming an essential component in the exponential growth of economies. However – just as is the case with many other Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – poultry farming faces challenges of different kinds, and to different degrees, as a matter of course.

But then again, poultry farming has great potential as the Dar es Salaam-based Magito Stores Company Limited, which has over 20 years of experience in poultry feed production sets out to justify.

Products and service offered by Magito Store

According to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Boaz Magito, the company manufactures and supplies poultry feed, agricultural pesticides and veterinary drugs. It also offers training courses for poultry farmers.

“Our cost-effective and affordable products and services have pivoted growth of the national economy,” Magito says.

“Apart from our unmatched products and services, we directly engage in helping our customers to buy raw materials for the production of poultry feed, particularly maize, used in the manufacture of poultry feed.

“Also, we make great efforts in connecting our customers with financial institutions to access micro, small or medium-size loans, and also extend their respective realm of the poultry businesses,” he explains.

The company provides training to the poultry farmers in partnership with several other organizations – mostly key players in the sector.

Learning to start up a poultry farm

A person wishing to start up a poultry farm needs to have basic knowledge of poultry keeping: type(s) of chickens to be farmed, appropriate chicken coops, market for chickens, chicks, eggs, etc., and startup capital.

“It is true that poultry farming is a consequential business that is designed to generate sufficient income. That’s why we use our workshop sessions to convince people to engage in poultry farming,” he says.

Making a difference

You would easily differentiate Magito Stores from any other similar enterprise through the company’s well-established port-folio of quality products and services. “One more thing about us is having the capacity to provide extension services – always ensuring our customers accrue profits,” Mr Magito says.

Overview of the SMEs sector

The SMEs sector is rapidly growing, as can be seen from the growth of enterprises like Magito’s. Poultry farmers grow their business from 100 to 500 chickens practically in no time as can be seen from repeated inspection tours of farms from startup onwards.

Gone are the days when poultry farming was perceived as an occupation for the elderly and retired workers. Today, the numbers of younger faces taking on the business are rising by the day. This is also a sign of how the SMEs sector is steadily but surely growing with time.

Growth of Magito Stores

“We have realized that our growth produced a domino effect on some of our customers whose businesses also grew symmetrically. Surprisingly enough, these customers also motivated others to follow in their foot-prints,” Magito says.

Competitiveness

“The big secret behind our strong establishment in this very competitive market is the high quality of our services and products that we offer, supplemented with the training we regularly conduct on poultry farming training.

Aspirations

“In the next five to ten years, we envision ourselves as much visible and elevated than what we are now,”

Magito says. “This is because, as I am now speaking, we are on the verge of extending the capacity of our animal feed production plant, by building another one in Kibaha in the Coast Region with an installed capacity of producing ten tones per hour from previous capacity of three tones per hour.

“This milestone will automatically guarantee our increased visibility and trust to our loyal customers, as we are looking to serve a wider area than this with our new, more spacious plant.

Remarks

Magito Stores has well established strong ties with the government, Magito says – citing the company’s close interactions with the Kinondoni Municipal Council as an example. “It is from the Agriculture and Livestock Department of the Municipality that Magito Stores receives heartwarming cooperation in conducting workshops, exhibitions and training sessions.

“I, therefore, call on other small and medium businesses to continue cooperating with government institutions in seeking to groom your business,” Magito counsels.

About Magito Stores

The company was officially established in 1998 as an individual venture with a focus on supplying agricultural and livestock inputs, as well as providing farmers and livestock keepers with modern farming and livestock keeping methods. “In 2000, we registered the company as ‘Magito Stores Co Ltd’ – with a view to expanding our operational horizons.

To a large extent, the company has effectively achieved many of its goals through hard work and concerted efforts, the CEO says – adding that “the sky is the limit!”