Nigerian farmers will have the opportunity to sell their fruit and vegetables directly to Shoprite customers on Saturday, 28 November, as part of the retailer’s ‘Meet the Farmer’ initiative.

Shoprite Adeniran in Lagos will host a fresh produce supplier from 10:00am – 4:00pm.

A large percentage of the fresh fruit and vegetables sold in Shoprite Nigeria’s 25 stores is sourced locally and by hosting these events the retailer gives the farmers the experience of selling in a formal retail setting.

Nwaorisa Chinedu Prosper, owner of AMET Farm Ventures, has been supplying Shoprite for five years. For him the most gratifying part remains the interaction with customers. “They were very surprised that the majority of the produce available at Shoprite is locally sourced.

I’m also grateful for the opportunity to market my business directly to customers. This is particularly good for smaller farmers as it could lead to people from their community buying directly from them in order to save some money,” adds Prosper.

Chinyere Abade, spokesperson for CSS Global Integrated Farms another participant in Meet the Farmer, recommends that growers participate in initiatives like these because of the invaluable feedback from shoppers, “The customers tell you what’s good about your produce and what’s not, so you have a very clear idea where improvements are needed to attract even more customers,” she added.