In today’s environment, the business plan is the entrepreneur’s most important document when

setting up a new business. Without the help of a well-designed and well- presented business plan
the entrepreneur will find it very difficult to express its business goals or secure financing.
Without a business plan, it is almost impossible for someone to take your business idea seriously
or even consider investing in it.

Because of this am hereby setting up a business plan for the startup of a new kind of business, we
will first start with an overview about the concept business plan throughout the literature. In this
literature study the term business plan is defined as well as an overview of the typical structure
of the business plan.

The literature on the topic business plans is awash with information and offers a lot of
definitions. Essentially these definitions have all the same meanings. Abrams & Barrow (2005)
define the business plan as a roadmap to the company’s targeted destination. Ideally, it enables
the entrepreneur to get from the basic business concepts to a healthy, successful business.

Maize farming is a lucrative business, providing income for millions of people, but there are
some essential things you need to do before you venture into the corn farming business. You
have to make a decision on how many hectares you want to farm, which type of maize you will
farm, which season you are going to plant your maize, and your target market. These choices
will be affected by the amount of capital you have, and the size of your target market.  If you do
not have a lot of capital, you can always start small and grow your maize farming business
overtime. You also need to carry out market research (Who are you going to sell the maize/corn
to? At what price?) and write a corn farming business plan before you venture into the business.
As indicated earlier, maize is also known as corn in other parts of the world.

Land for maize farming business type of soil is an important factor for a good maize
harvest. Maize can be grown in a variety of soil types.  However, it needs soil which is fertile
and well drained. Another important factor is the pH of the soil, as it affects the availability of
nutrients. Maize/Corn grow well in soil with pH of between 6-7. If the pH is lower than this, the
maize produced will be of poor quality, and it may experience abnormal growth. Thus the pH of
soil for maize should be close to neutral or slightly acidic. If the pH is too acidic, lime should be
added to increase the pH of the soil to between pH 6-7. Other properties of good soil for maize
include: sufficient and balanced quantities of plant nutrients, good internal soil drainage, good
moisture, and good effective depth of the soil.  It is important that before you start farming
maize/corn on your farm, you check whether the soil is suitable for maize farming. Your corn
farming business plan should take into account the cost of purchasing or renting the land.
I also want be processing maize Stover, which has very less economic value to the farmer and
converting it into ethanol. The value is added by processing cheap maize Stover to ethanol,
which has high price and demand. Thus by processing, the form is changed leading to value
addition in the produce. We would be using the maize grains for production of poultry feed
which is found out to be a viable option
We are adding value to the Maize Stover by taking it from the farms to the factory gate. The
Stover in farms does not fetch much value but once it reaches to processing unit, it can be
converted into ethanol, which is more valuable. We are also procuring maize grains from the
farmers and selling it in the market, where, we can fetch comparatively more value.
The location which am planning to setup my plant is in the district of eastern province. This area
has the highest maize production in the Zambia along with the bordering areas of Malawi and
Mozambique. The procurement of maize along with Stover would lead to an increase in the
working capital requirement but that would be offset by the increased revenues from the sale of
that maize. Also the solid matter that would be left out as an affluent during the fermentation
process would be useful as feedstock material. The carbon dioxide produced will be sold as
industrial CO2 which will make the whole process of ethanol processing a clean development
process, with zero carbon emission. As depicted in the table 1 below, total cost/liter of ethanol is
lowest from maize Stover for equal amount of raw material consumed.

Machinery and equipment for maize farming land preparation must be properly done to ensure
the soil is ready for the maize. The type of machinery and equipment needed for your maize
farming business depends on the scale of production. For small scale this can be done using
hand-held equipment whereas for medium to large scale heavy machinery such as tractors are
needed.  Machinery and equipment which may be needed include tractors, combine harvesters,
fertilizer spreader equipment, irrigation equipment, spray equipment etc. Most farmers usually
hire big machinery like tractors when they want to use them, rather than purchasing them
outright as they are expensive.

Adequate water supply is also important meaning that irrigation maybe necessary. However
maize farming can also be done without irrigation in areas which have a good supply of rainfall. 
There may also be need of grid hydroelectricity energy for the irrigation systems, standby diesel
generators for use during power outages, or solar powered irrigation systems. Farmers especially
in the rural areas who do not have the modern farming equipment use animal drawn equipment
in maize farming. The higher the level of mechanization at your corn farm, the higher the
efficiency of your operations, and the profitability of your maize farming business. The maize
farming business plan should include the costs of acquiring and hiring the various machinery and
equipment.

Maize farming inputs you require various farming inputs when doing maize farming. You start
maize farming by planting maize seeds. Ensure that you use high quality maize seed from
certified maize seed companies. It’s unwise to buy cheap, poor quality maize seeds as that will
lead to poor harvest yield and low quality maize produce.

Fertilizers are also essential during maize farming as they support the growth of the maize by
providing nutrients. The amount and type of fertilizers needed for maize farming depend on the
fertility of the soil and the target yield. The most important nutrients for maize farming are
Nitrogen and Phosphorous. Potassium and Zinc are also required. Organic matter is also needed
in maize farming. This can be in the form of compost, decayed leaves, animal manure etc. The
functions of organic matter in maize farming include: increasing soil fertility, positively
influencing the moisture level & temperature of the soil, increasing the soil friability and
increasing the amount of decomposers organisms in the soil. Organic matter also increases the
capacity of the soil to retain water and nutrients. It’s a soil conditioner.
Other essential maize farming inputs include herbicides, for effective weed control at your farm.
Pesticides and fungicides are required for protecting your maize/corn plants against insects and
fungi. Diligent measures must be put in place to fight against pests, diseases and weeds.  The
costs of acquiring all these inputs should be included in your corn/maize farming business plan.
This depends on the scale of maize production and level of mechanization amongst other factors.
You can get a loan from the bank, or funding from investors, to use as capital to start your maize
farming business. If you plan to raise capital from investors and a loan from the bank, you need a
good maize farming business plan. If you don’t have access to investors and bank loan, you can
use your personal savings and start small, and grow your business overtime. Maize farming is
profitable, so if you reinvest the profits you get, you can quickly grow. Even if you are not
planning to get a loan, you should still get a maize farming business plan to guide you in starting
and operating the business. It is essential for you to have a maize/corn farming business plan
before you venture into the maize farming business, so that you know all the costs involved and
you make an informed decision.

The market is huge and actually needs more players to start maize farming businesses. The
demand for maize is very high, individuals consume maize and products processed from maize.
Maize meal and Maize flour is used in meals all over the world. Maize is not just for human
consumption but also for animal consumption. Maize is used in stock feed production for
livestock production. The starch from the maize is used for a long list of things such as cosmetic
products, adhesives, paints, inks, and medical drugs amongst many others. Some continents such
as Africa actually import large quantities of maize annually.  However, there are vast patches of
arable land on the continent.  There are so many talking points on this but the relevant one for
this subject is about potential. This means the market is not being adequately served by the local
maize farmers. Market-wise it is a foregone conclusion that the market is vast and limitless. The
maize business plan ought to include a proper marketing plan to use in your maize farming
business.

In conclusion our main target in this maize farming business is to distribute as many maize as
possible to the government and private sectors to contribute to the nations GTP out and in the
long run to go international with our aim and vision.