New website offers farmers direct link to customers

Local farmers will soon have the opportunity to sell their product directly to restaurants, caterers, manufacturers, hotels and retailers via an online networking hub, effectively eliminating the middle man.

The project has been three years in the making by Caribbean Chemicals which will host the website free of charge to bona fide farmers.

The online platform – www.linkingfarmers.com – is strictly for locally produced food such as fruits, vegetables, root crops,vine crops and animal by-products such honey, eggs, milk as well as meat, poultry, fish to give farmers the opportunity to make the best profit.

Managing director of Caribbean Chemicals Joe Pires said the concept of the project is aimed at improving the profitability and livelihood of farmers. He said the complaint of the middle men making the most money on a farmer's crop was a real concern for many farmers. Caribbean Chemicals is one of the major suppliers of pesticides and other products for local farmers.

"We always say if our farmers do not make a profit that means we will never sell any products. So it is important for us that our farmers make a profit and logically we all know in this country that the middle men make the most money in all," he said.

Pires said some middlemen make as must as 40 per cent mark up on the price of produce they buy from farmers by selling to supermarkets, caterers and other customers. He said the idea of linking farmers directly to consumers was born out of that the idea.

"We want to help the farmers, again the concept is that if the farmers are not profitable, we won't be profitable. So it is important to us, we put out the money to build the website."

Reacting to the website, root crop farmer Ramdeo Boondoo, who was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold) at the National Awards welcomed the initiative.

"It is very good, the middle men wanting all the money and the farmer not getting the recognition and profits from his produce."

He said it will also help farmers "to get out of the bubble" and present produce clean and ready-to-eat food in a competitive market. The farmers will actually see the benefit of their investment," Boondoo said. He specialises in hybrid sweet potatoes, tania, eddoes among other provisions.

Boondoo said in his 60 years as a farmer he had only tried to sell in the wholesale market three times but each time his prices were "beaten down" by the middle men as well as it was risky to venture out in the wee hours to get to those markets. He said he does not think any "progressive farmer" will have a problem with signing on.

Another farmer Dillon Ramkissoon, 30, said he believes the idea behind the website is "a good idea" because of trust issues with the middle men who take his produce and pay according to prices in the market.

He said often times it come down to trust between the farmer and the middle man to get a just, fair price for his produce. Ramkissoon said he was optimistic to sign on to the website "once buyers are able to pay within a couple days rather than a few months."

In the future, Caribbean Chemicals hopes to earn revenue from having classifieds ads on the website where farmers can offer tractor services or advertise the sale of their machinery or vehicles, animals, etc. Pires said someone does not have be "registered farmer" to be registered with the website but they must be a bona fide farmer with a confirmed e-mail, cellphone contact which is verified.

"We do expect some revenue in the future but at the end of the day what we want to do is cover the cost of maintenance of the site and possibly one part-time employee to answer, monitor and address any technical issues," he said.

Pires said the pandemic delayed the project but he intends to launch it in the coming week with a formal launch after Christmas. After it initial testing period over the next six months, the company intends to roll it out in other Caribbean countries in which it operates such as Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic and 25 other Caribbean territories they serve.

According to Caribbean Chemicals, which has already began sharing a video on how farmers can join starts with the farmer or buyer creating an account on the Linking Farmers website with a valid e-mail and telephone contact and follow the sign-up process.

The company says potential buyers can be both locally or overseas and they will be able to view what is available as well as future purchases on the "buyer's board." In the event help is needed, an e-mail can be sent to linkingfarmerstt@gmail.com. Farmers/buyers can also WhatsApp or call (868) 282-7507.