Online market connects farmers with top buyers

A farmer harvests tomatoes from her greenhouse farm at Pembe Tatu estate in Nyeri town. Sokopepe — Kiswahili for virtual market — is an agricultural commodity trading platform that will link small-scale producers to final retailers or bulk purchasers. Photo/FILE

What you need to know:

  • System enables growers to earn more from their produce by linking them directly to buyers, thus pushing out middle-men’s chain

A pilot project that aims to empower farmers to increase efficiency and access the best markets for maximum returns has been launched.

Dubbed Sokopepe — Kiswahili for virtual market — the initiative is an agricultural commodity trading platform that will link small-scale producers to final retailers or bulk purchasers.

Some of the services that are being provided include commodity prices, farm inputs, linkage with other service providers, and farming and livestock tips as well as secure mobile payment systems.

It is a project spearheaded by a local NGO, the Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN).

Initially, the initiative will be piloted at Ng’arua Maarifa Centre in Sipili town, Laikipia West County.

Speaking at its launch last week, the ALIN regional director, Mr James Nguo, encouraged farmers to join the platform by registering through a mobile short code.

“Sokopepe is accessible online and on mobile phone. Most transactions on Sokopepe can be completed on a basic mobile telephone handset, making it accessible to farmers in remote regions. We are, therefore, encouraging farmers and agro-pastoralists to register with Sokopepe,” said Mr Nguo.

He said the system enables farmers to earn more by connecting them directly to buyers, thus eliminating middlemen. The regional director said the NGO chose to pilot the project in the area because it has operated there over the past seven years.

“We observed how vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen farmers in the area had become. This was as a result of the farmers’ lack of means to access timely and accurate information about the prices of their commodities at the end markets. They also lacked other vital information on the prices which their commodities could fetch and data relating to production, post-harvest storage, and quality care,” he said.

The initiative is expected to be rolled out in other counties nationally.

To enrol, Mr Mbogo said farmers will pay Sh350 as membership fees and a minimum share of Sh200

Mr Nguo said Sokopepe was setup to bridge an information gap by providing farmers and livestock keepers with a “one-stop information platform” that will always be available and easy to use.

Speaking at the forum, the vice-chairman of the Laikipia Produce and Marketing Cooperative Society, Mr Samuel Mbogo, urged farmers in the area to join the society, which will partner with ALIN in the initiative.

“We want our farmers to get maximum prices for their maize and horticulture produce and also access quality seeds from the Kenya Seed Company and fertiliser to enable us to increase crop production,” he said.

A Kenya Seed Company official, Mr Charles Nyakiogora, described the launch of Sokopepe as a “new beginning” which will enable the company to supply quality seeds to farmers through the society.

A small-scale farmer, Ms Veronica Kemunto, cited low prices for farm produce after harvesting, lack of knowledge about farm inputs, and crop disease as some of the challenges facing farmers in the area.

“However, the introduction of Sokopepe has resulted in awareness among farmers on the current market prices for produce in Nairobi, Mombasa, and other areas. We’re now able to identify the crops with high demand and which are fetching higher prices. At the same time, there is a need for farmers to join the cooperative society to realise maximum profits,” she said.

County Assembly member Duncan Ndegwa said the initiative would see farmers realise maximum returns.

The Sipili divisional agricultural officer, Mr James Kamau, said before the launch of Sokopepe, farmers were selling their produce at throwaway prices.

“I would also like to urge farmers to utilise the services of a drier for maize currently available in the area,” he said.