New ways which you can market agricultural produce in Nigeria.

Agricultural marketing is inferred to cover the services involved in
moving an agricultural product from the farm to the consumer . It
is also the planning, organizing, directing and handling of
agricultural produce in such a way as to satisfy the farmer,
producer and the consumer. Numerous interconnected activities
are involved in doing this, such as planning production, growing
and harvesting , grading , packing and packaging , transport,
storage, agro- and food processing, distribution , advertising and
sale. Effectively, the term encompasses the entire range of supply
chain operations. However, it's key function is to help direct these
services, by providing competent and able market information,
thereby linking the other operations into an integrated service with
targeted outcomes.
1). Identify Your Farm Market:
Before you start a farm, grow your farm products, and start
marketing, the first and most important thing you need to
do is ask yourself this question: what does the market
want? The farm products your market wants is more
important than the farm products you want to grow. Once
you’re growing what the market wants, finding customers
and distributors for your farm products will be a lot easier
than trying to sell a farm product a lot of people are not
interested in.
2). Join Farm Associations:
It’s important you belong to several farm associations.
Being a part of such associations will keep you up to date
with the trends affecting the farming business in Nigeria.
Associating would help you know of new market trends,
potential customers, disease outbreaks, tax regulations,
and a lot more. The advantages far outweigh the
disadvantages. Joining farm associations is a cost-
effective way to stay in the middle of the market trend, and
subsequently increasing your sales because of your access
to the right information. An example of a reputable farm
association in Nigeria is the All Farmers Association of
Nigeria (AFAN)
3). Supply To Food Markets:
Commercial food markets are a great place to find retailers.
With thousands of traders regularly trading farm products
ranging from tomatoes, to yams, rice, and much more at
retail prices, you could approach them, make them aware
of your farm’s existence, and how you can offer them a
better deal than their existing suppliers. You can also find
distributors in the markets that’d want the ability to resell
your farm produce in large quantities, and at the right price.
With a hold on some key distributors, you can move your
farm products as fast as they are harvested.
4). Supply To Hotels & Restaurants:
Hotels & restaurants collectively process thousands of tons
of food items everyday. These food items are generally
farm products like rice, plantains, beef, tomatoes, and
more. Approaching restaurants and offering to beat their
existing supplier’s prices is a good way to start. If you can
also guarantee that the farm products you supply them
would mostly be fresh crops, you’d sign on a restaurant or
two in a short time.
In summary, find reputable restaurants, offer them fresher
crops, & beat their existing suppliers price to be in
business.
See Also: 5 Important Reasons You Must Invest In
Agriculture In Nigeria Now
5). Supply To Brick & Mortar Stores:
Brick and mortar stores like Shoprite, and the likes are
always on the lookout for new farm produce distributors.
The excessive sales and revenues they
generate, causes their suppliers to be unable to meet their
demand. You can approach large stores and advertise your
farm products to them. If they confirm your farm
products as genuine, fresh, healthy, and large enough to
cover a chunk of their needs, you just might have signed
yourself a big client. Make your farm products appealing,
and they’d never stop ordering from you.
6). Supply To Homes & Offices:
Many individuals are mostly busy at work during the day,
and as such, never have real time to go out to the market
to purchase food stuffs and other farm products. The same
applies to homes with bachelors, or pregnant women.
These kind of households find it difficult to constantly visit
the market. Marketing your fresh farm products to these
individuals is a profitable feat. An example of a Nigerian
startup that delivers fresh fruits to individuals at work is
gingerbox.com.ng . They run a subscription based service
to deliver fresh foods within certain intervals to individuals
that choose to subscribe to their service.
7). Own a Retail Store:
Setting up your own personal brick & mortar store is one
great way to escape the middle man, and cut costs. By
starting a store of your own, you can generate retail value
revenues from your crop sales. This is a good route to sell
your farm products for a higher value.