Pullus Africa lands first debt financing to buy birds from Nigerian smallholder farmers
What's the deal? Nigerian poultry supply chain company Pullus AfricaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured its first debt financing, an undisclosed amount it will use as working capital to buy birds from smallholder farmers.
Why now? Pullus pays farmers on receipt of their poultry but often waits to sell. After investing in its own cold storage, the company needs trade finance to time market price swings — storing birds until prices rise.
What's the endgame? Pullus connects small poultry farmers to reliable buyers, inputs, services, and financing, using technology to coordinate supply and demand. It supports over 25,000 farmers and organises them into community clusters to build trust and cut risk.
The company was founded by chief executive officer Ope Fayomi, who ran her family's chicken farm. In 2025, it bought poultry from about 900 farmers, 70% of them women, each earning roughly $615 on average — against about $125 a year for the average Nigerian poultry farmer.
Why it matters: Poultry supports the livelihoods of about 85 million Nigerians, but smallholders have little market access. Middlemen offer low prices, bird mortality runs near 25%, and input and sale prices swing widely.
Until now, Pullus has been backed by equity and grant providers including AcumenDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, elea, Livelihood Impact FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and MulagoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It has also tested input financing, lending to 380 farmers with repayment above 99%.
The signal: The financing matters less as a big sector-wide funding event than as targeted working capital linking smallholders to dependable buyers. Its impact will hinge on the loan's cost and terms, and whether Pullus can scale purchases without taking on undue risk.
Read more: african-startups.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
