Farmers market for fresh produce launched in Lagos

The Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Profitville Limited with the trading name of Buy More Supermarket and Maidville Consulting to establish a farmers market for fresh produce in GRA-Ikeja.

 

As part of efforts to address the issues of food waste and market access to farm produce, AFGEAN has collaborated to create a farmers market in Ikeja as the pilot phase and hope to replicate it across the state and country in due time.

 

“We are creating market which is one of the greatest challenges of farmers. We are officially bringing access to market for fresh produce by signing a MoU with Buy More Supermarket and Maidville Consulting to open a farmers market in GRA- Ikeja,” Adeotun Abbi-Olaniyan, founder and CEO, Maidville Consulting and also the representative of AFGEAN said during the launch.

 

“The market is aimed at providing safe, healthy and affordable fresh produce for consumers in GRA and its environs, as well as providing market access for growers,” Olaniyan said.

 

She stated that the farmers market will operate twice every week and that the days are fixed throughout the year to enable farmers plan ahead with their production and guarantee consumers of fresh produce at a cheaper cost from growers directly.

 

She noted that under the arrangement, Maidville Consulting, a trade support firm and a Global-GAP licenced farm is AFGEAN market farmers’ manager and administrator that will see the entire process to the end and ensure that consumers get value for their money and farmers also get value from what they bring.

 

Akin Sawyerr, executive secretary and founding member, AFGEAN said that the group has endorsed the agreement and has indicated that there will be more of such agreement across the country.

 

“We must provide farmers access to the market,” Sawyerr said.

 

Also speaking during the launch, Peter Essein, co-founder, Buy More Supermarket said that the partnership is very strategic as it provides consumers access to fresh produce in their environment without having to go to the open market.

 

Essein stated that the initiative of the farmers market will add more value to its customers, saying that the market will provide farmers direct access to customers, eliminating the middle men in the value chain of distribution.

 

Josephine Okojie