How Konga is Revolutionizing Agriculture in Nigeria via e-Commerce
Konga, Nigeria’s foremost composite retail large, has when once more led from the entrance, revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria by leveraging e-Commerce in aiding rural farmers access superior agricultural inputs these as crop seedlings, fertilizers and substantially far more at very competitive rates.
The initiative, a first in Africa, is a partnership with UKAid-funded Frontier Technology Livestreaming established in 2016 to enable innovators use frontier technologies to the greatest problems in enhancement.
The programme, which commenced in March 2019, has viewed Konga – arguably the most dependable participant in Africa’s most significant market place – leverage its e-Commerce engine, large technology backbone, Central Financial institution of Nigeria-accredited payment procedure – KongaPay, significant community of branches throughout the nook and crannies of Nigeria, advanced shipping and delivery capabilities by way of an internally owned logistics outfit – KXpressand easy skill to reach the very last mile in empowering rural, smallholder farmers to prevail over obstructions confronted in their agricultural tactics.
Konga emerged as the technology associate for the challenge just after it came out tops in a demanding selection approach.
By Konga, the agricultural sector – a single of the most important in Nigeria in look at of the point that it offers livelihoods for about 70 for every cent of the rural inhabitants – is getting a a great deal-required turnaround aided by engineering.
Portion of the issues that have for long held back this significant sector is that of minimized yields attributed to confined use of present day agricultural inputs by farmers, sub-optimal supply moments and constrained data on availability and cost.
This trouble confronts about 80 for each cent of farmers in the rural inhabitants, the overwhelming greater part of whom are modest-scale farmers who contend with low productivity, resulting in seriously lessened incomes. In addition, these farmers are normally excluded from the official sector and come across it difficult to entry capital or credit rating amenities. Also, most agriculture input suppliers are centered in the city regions, with confined presence in rural places due to large transaction charges.
Having said that, Konga is bringing its suite of state-of-the-art competencies to bear in revolutionizing this sector.
Exclusively, Konga is creating it easy for these rural, smallholder farmers to acquire agricultural inputs on the internet, meeting calls for that have for prolonged defied govt and other allied companies. Additional, the e-Commerce large is furnishing farmers in hard-to-attain, far-flung and below-served destinations in Nigeria with an effortless to use system for listing and buying agricultural inputs and products and solutions, as properly as providing logistics by KXpress and a dependable payment answer by way of KongaPay in just the ecosystem.
Konga’s e-Commerce system is available to rural farmers with minimal net connectivity, allowing for them to buy inputs at competitive prices from agro-sellers and suppliers, with pre and article-fork out selections.
So considerably, Konga has recorded commendable good results with the initiative, onboarding 12 merchants, recording about 7000 hits on the web site and productively providing scores of orders.
GaniatEttu, an Impartial Specialized Qualified on the challenge, has hailed Konga for its sterling work.
‘‘The most significant challenge has been onboarding the suppliers, the agro dealers. Konga is utilised to doing small business with sellers, but they identified that in this place, it’s not organization as standard given that their prospects (the farmers) operate in rural or peri-rural areas…Physical sales are what will work for them. If farmers can obtain agricultural inputs they involve at the right cost and when they will need them, this will boost their yields and productiveness will increase drastically.’’
Meanwhile, the pilot initiative, which has seen a fruitful relationship of e-Commerce and agriculture, has also viewed potential talks of Konga making extra important investments in agri-tech.
This was confirmed by Nick Imudia, Co-CEO, Konga Team, who described the encounter garnered from the job as pretty insightful and useful.
‘‘The agricultural sector in Nigeria requires federal government to far better channel its means in helping it to scale. There are fears of famine or food stuff insecurity in Nigeria in the up coming six months as not long ago predicted by the United Nations. But our expertise reveals that Nigerian rural farmers have the potential to feed the country and even have some remaining around for export. All they have to have is the suitable assist.
‘‘We are carrying out our most effective in this place as effectively but we are unable to do it on your own. What determines no matter whether we improve the classification or devote is the variety of consumers we get. Do we get one of a kind requests for products? Do we see growth in certain regions that would imply opening warehouses or new logistical hubs?’’ he concluded.