By Ahmed Rahma
As part of its efforts to ensure its customers get the best at cheaper prices, a leading retail store in Africa, Shoprite, has created a platform for farmers to meet directly with buyers.
The initiative is called Meet the Farmer and will create an opportunity for customers of Shoprite to buy farm products directly from the farmers through the platform.
Before now, Shoprite gets the farm produce from farmers across the country and then sell to buyers at its stores spread in different parts of the nation.
But with this scheme, the farmers will have the opportunity to sell their fruits and vegetables directly to Shoprite customers on Saturday, November 28, 2020. The fresh produce supplier will be hosted at Shoprite Adeniran in Lagos from 10:00am – 4:00pm.
The idea behind this system, according to the company, is to provide an opportunity for the farmers to experience selling their products in a formal retail setting.
For the owner of AMET Farm Ventures, Mr Nwarisa Chinedu Prosper, who has been supplying Shoprite for five years, the most gratifying part remains the interaction with customers.
“They were very surprised that the majority of the produce available at Shoprite is locally sourced. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to market my business directly to customers.
“This is particularly good for smaller farmers as it could lead to people from their community buying directly from them in order to save some money,” Mr Prosper added.
A spokesperson for CSS Global Integrated Farms, Ms Chinyere Abade, another participant in Meet the Farmer, urged growers to participate in initiatives like these because of the invaluable feedback from shoppers.
“The customers tell you what’s good about your produce and what’s not. So, you have a very clear idea where improvements are needed to attract even more customers,” she added.
