MARKETING IN AGRICULTURE

                                                MARKETING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE

Marketing is the art of making customers aware of a product and making them buy the product, this is a paraphrased definition of marketing by the International Strategic Management Institute (ISMI) of which am a proud member.

Let me start by saying no enterprise can survive without a steady market for it products, no matter how good the products are, the enterprise will fold up if the market is not there. I usually recommend farm enterprises to have available market before they start production. If this is done, it will save the farmer a lot of headaches also prevent exploitation. Exploitation normally set in when farmers are desperate to dispose-off their goods to avoid spoilage.

A professor of Animal Sciences, in person of Prof E.B Sonaiya once said and I quote ’’if you want to go into Agriculture, it better to start with marketing, this will give you good idea and knowledge of the market.

When searching for market for Agricultural produce, the type of the product you want to sell matters a lot, the perish-ability and duration of production matters. No matter what you want to produce always start small, more like experiment with a little.

In Nigeria, Lagos state seems to be the biggest market for all types of commodities, the reasons are not far-fetched, and Lagos is the most populated city in sub-Saharan Africa with a 2018 population that exceeds 20 million according to Wikipedia. So if your farm is located in the South Western part of the country, you might want to consider selling your produce in Lagos.

Wait a minute, I usually advice farmers to conquer their immediate environment before proceeding to conquer the outside world.

For example, if you are into broiler production, before targeting those big cities, look for those broiler buyers around you like small eateries, hotels, fast food joints and start from there, you might be surprised to find that your supply might not meet their demands, after that move to neighboring Local governments, states and then the larger cities and subsequently outside the country.

If you are into vegetable, tomato production or any other perishable produce, try engaging the local buyers around e.g. the market women who buy and sell the commodities in baskets. Let them be your first customers, over time, I have come to realize that if your produce are good, and always available, they will prefer to buy from you than go far away to get them.

Once you have done these, than spread you tentacles out.

N.B

Always have ready market before embarking on any production.

See you later.