Forty percent – that’s how much of Nigeria’s agricultural produce is lost post-harvest as a result of insufficient marketing and lack of available information. In an effort to bridge this gap, however, Farmers Online Market (FOM) has been launched – an online tool designed to help farmers and buyers exchange produce information.
According to a Leadership report, the e-market platform will identify large buyers and connect agro suppliers (for example, of fertiliser and irrigation) directly with farmers. ‘This platform … is about expanding the Nigerian farming market all over the world; creating employment; and increasing the income base of those who are already working by involving them in agricultural marketing,’ says Steven Maduko, FOM’s executive director.
‘We hope to create 2 million jobs and over 20 million indirect jobs for men and women. It has worked in Ghana, India and London, and if all stakeholders collectively work together, it will work in Nigeria.’
