By Paulinus Aidoghie
Professor John Kennedy Opara, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of CSS Group of Companies, owners of CSS Global Integrated Farms, has a mission to to change the narrative in farm business in Nigeria.
His focus is to contribute in stemming the unemployment tide in the country . He also habour an ambitious dream to make food prices affordable across the country.
When in 2018, he founded CSS Global Integrated Farms he did not hide what his mission was – join forces with government in achieving food security for the country.
Under his watch, CSS Farms has successfully implemented the 7Ps Business Model of Integrated Farming where each unit serves as raw material for the next unit by assessing the Potential, Planning, Planting, Producing, Processing, Packaging and Protecting.
For example, harvested maize, soybean, rice paddy, cowpea, etc, from CSS 1, 500 hectares commercial farms, are utilised in the rice mill, soy mill, feed mill as well as food processing and packaging as feed for poultry, fish.
In the last two decades, Opara has demonstrated remarkable investment strides, both human and capital resources.
He has trained and mentored over 500 employees and now champions the training and transfer of Israeli-inspired agriculture skills to thousands of youths and others from different states of the federation.
Born in Aboh Mbaise, Imo State, on January 18, 1970, Opara graduated from the University of Calabar with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology; earned a Master of Science degree in the same field from the University of Jos, where he also obtained Doctor of Philosophy, PhD.
He has attended many certificate courses at Harvard, Colombia, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge universities.