Turning the El Niño rains into an asset

Everyone is talking about El Niño. Most of the messages are of doom – loss, destruction, death.

But there is always a silver lining even with bad tidings. You can actually make money during the season, which experts say will run up to January next year. The starting point is to assess your surrounding and what you can do about it to make hay while the sun shines so to say.

If you come from a semi-arid area, do a mini-dam to collect the water. You will use it for irrigation when the rains are over. You can also sell the water to building contractors as well as your neighbours. Invest now and reap in four or so months.

Plant crops that do well when the ground is soggy. Remember many crops fail when there is too much rain. Trees that need a lot of rain to deepen their roots are a good place to start. By the end of this rainy season, they will be too sturdy to be affected by any long drought that may follow.

Buy umbrellas in large quantities and sell them. With the general poor quality of these items in the market, you will surely find buyers and make your money when you sell quality. Purpose to buy wholesale and then retail them at a profit. ‘Add value’ to your merchandise and sell them at a tidy sum. You can have them fancy with unique, classy covers. People will rush for them.

Get nice water-proof boots and sell them to your colleagues at work. It is human nature for people to want to be unique and as a business person you won’t go wrong if you make your customers feel special by availing tailor-made items. And remember, they will pay handsomely for the good item.

Hot snacks and drinks; when it rains, people’s appetites rise. There is a scientific explanation for this. But for now, take advantage of this phenomenon and make some money. Hot chapatis and mandazi are irresistible. So are hot drinks. If you stragetise well, you will find it hard to cope with the demand. Plan ahead, make your sales and grow your savings.

Sweaters and jackets are other items that will sell like hotcakes when El Niño proper sets in. Now is the time to get your suppliers working overtime on beautiful items that cheer up people during the dull period. Go for warm colours like orange, yellow, pink and baby blue.

And how do you keep your family happy during the season?

Here are a few things you can do;

· Buy heavy duvets (that is if you do not have them already) to keep yourself and your loved ones warm during the dreary nights. You can pick these from second hand markets and have them cleaned thoroughly beforehand.

Ensure your family also has heavy jackets, hoods and gloves. Buy your school-going children boots and also get some pairs for use at home. If the rains are as heavy as they are touted to be, then you will need boots to access your compound!

· Stock your kitchen with dry foods. Rice, legumes and maize are handy when the weather does not allow you to go to the market as often as you would wish to.

Add to this bulky shopping to avoid making many trips to the supermarket; that day you desperately need something you might find that you are marooned and can’t get out to the shop next door.

· Get back-up sources of lighting – solar lamps, candles and lanterns. Staying in darkness when the rain is pelting can be quite depressing.

· Ensure your car has enough fuel all the time. Fill your gas cylinder and buy an extra one for back-up just in case. Get more charcoal and paraffin too. Buy vegetables now then cook and deep freeze them. Vegetables tend to vanish with heavy rains therefore arm yourself with these commodities in advance. It is important to know that when frozen, foodstuff like meat and vegetables can last up to six months or longer.

Where will the money come from, you ask. Well, from the savings you have been making since the beginning of the year. It is for such emergencies.

· Pay a plumber to check your drainage system. It can be miserable and dangerous having sewer and water pipes exchanging fluids during the season and a plumber cannot access your place.