Timing is everything in business and in life. We’ve all experienced successes fueled by circumstance and also felt the sting of regret for failing to capitalize on unique market conditions.
I’m reminded of this reality as I write in the opulent surroundings of a new luxury hotel in Shenzhen, China. Just 20 years ago, Shenzhen was a small fishing village known primarily as the gateway to Hong Kong.
Today it is a bustling city with skyscrapers, upscale shopping, chic hotels, prolific office buildings and excellent roads filled with as many luxury cars as taxis. Real estate here has been so steady and strong that many would tell you the time to buy has passed. If you didn’t capitalize on the boom times of the past decade, then you probably missed out on one of the world’s great opportunities.
Likewise, Shenzhen’s pesticide companies have grown five-fold in the same time span, fueled by China’s rising middle class and demand for more diverse foods that make China one of the fastest growing crop protection markets in the world. Many of these pesticides companies confess that competition is becoming fiercer each day. Like other good business markets, success leads to competition and eventually an overcrowded landscape.
所以这就引出了一个问题：下一个深圳在哪里？世界上哪里有知识、需求、投资和市场准入结合成条件，使许多公司变得富有，其他人羡慕他们的愿景？我的赌注是在东非和南部非洲。
作物保护制造商有机会跟随创新和投资进入非洲。政府对化肥和灌溉的投资正在为更复杂地采用农艺实践铺平道路，包括使用作物保护策略。小额融资变得越来越容易获得，该地区的分销网络开始看到它们在规模和范围与更发达国家相似的大型零售商中的份额。
阅读 FCI 4 月刊中本专栏的其余部分。