After his first meeting with the farmers earlier this year, Daan is eager to get an estimate of their seasonal production. Although setting up a survey is the only way to come to such figures, it gives rise to a farmer’s dilemma. Do the farmers have to fill in what they produce at the moment, or do they give an estimation of what they might be able to produce in the future? If it’s up to the farmer’s, the latter category comprises a much larger number. And when Daan returns to Kinshasa, maybe it is best if he can present promising numbers to his potential buyers.
In trying to get an estimation of the production of corn and maniok from the villages that surround Mukila, Daan is setting up a survey for farmers. Where do which products come from, in which quantities, and most of all: how will they be transported? A day before the survey, Daan and his companion in Mukila are putting the finishing touch to the schedules and tables.
Although Daan will have to make use of Congo’s infrastructure that has it’s foundation in it’s missionary history, he explains how his approach of development differs from the classic Catholic one. But of course, he also has to consider the possible difficulties that his approach just might bring along.
Just some miles before their arrival at the Catholic mission post in Mukila, Daan encounters trouble with the Landrover again. With Rosaire coming to the rescue, it once more shows that it is no luxury to travel with a mechanic when you hit the road in Congo. At Mukila, Daan wants to set up the hub of his business. Situated amidst a surrounding of small rural villages, it offers a good location to collect the agricultural goods and to distribute them to Kinshasa. The only thing is that the quality of the agricultural goods needs to be upgraded somehow in the future.
After some trouble with the car, Daan and Hans set out to travel to Mukila in order to conduct research about the possible scope of corn production. If you hit the road in Congo, there is always something to tell when you finally arrive at your destination.
Picking up the new licence plates for his car, Daan suddenly has to pay for something he wasn’t informed about.
After a long flight, Daan and Hans arrive in Kinshasa. First thing they do is meeting up with Guido and friends. Guido is a theatre director from Holland who lives in Kinshasa for a year, making a streetplay about the phenomenon of child witches. Daan and Guido share a house in a suburb called Masina. Together we visit Guido’s play and on the way back we talk about the acceptance of Daan as a white man in the popular neighbourhood of Masina.
Daan and Joris pay a visit to a possible investor who has showed interest in their plan. Bert is experienced with doing business in development countries and gives some serious feedback on Daan and Joris’ businessplan.
A weekend away from stressful Kinshasa: Daniel plays the blues with Toto and his father. Sugar cane plantation, Kwilu-Ngongo, Bas-Congo.
In april 2010, Daniel and Joris meet Martijn Woudstra in a ‘brown café’ in Leiden. Martijn helps them identify a financing strategy. One of the topics of discussion is the number of trucks the trading of agricultural products needs to start off. It all depends on the financing, which in turn depends on the investors who demand a solid businessplan. In the coming months, Daniel and Joris will have to rewrite this plan in detail.
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