Youth: Six Things You Should Know about Agro Dealership

Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, animal care medicines and many others are constantly needed in the farming sector. Not only do farmers need this crop protection products they also need inputs that are of quality and will meet their needs. And this indeed opens quiet a big door of opportunity for youth.

Alhaji Idris Musa, an agro-dealer representative in Karshi , FCT Nigeria

Agro-Dealers

Today, I am going to do a quick dive into what you should know about agro-dealership and areas where as young people we can tap into. First, you need to know who an agro dealer is:

An agro-dealer is someone, business organisation and sometimes cooperative society that engage in the sale and purchase of agricultural input. They usually have a valid registration certificate or license to carry out this activity as required by the law. They are usually also part of a union that governors activities of dealers

The agro dealer can either be a wholesaler or a retailer. The wholesaler buys directly from the manufacturer or sometimes an importer or suppler. They buy in large volume as sell to a retailer. The retailer is the one who buys from the wholesaler and is usually in direct contact with farmers and other consumers. The agro input sold fall into various types like fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and farm implements or equipment.

What Should You Know?
If you are thinking of venturing into agro dealership there are a couple of things you should know.
• There are different types of fertilisers, crop chemicals, farm implement and seed varieties. Thus it is important that you know what is needed and acceptable by your customers and provide them with the very best of quality inputs
• For those that will deal in fertilizers it is paramount you know about the nutrient value of different fertilizers and methods of conversion of nutrients to fertilizer material. It is also good to know the role of plant nutrients in crop production and what symptoms the crop show when the nutrient is deficient.
• An agro-dealer should also have knowledge of how to apply or use the inputs they sell. For example he/she should know the time to use an input, methods of application and quantity to be used
• A sound knowledge of marketing and sales is also important. As many products will come your way and you just have to sell and make profit.
• An agro dealer also needs to have knowledge of the local market and the demand of consumers. This would also involve understanding the farmers practice and noting where there are gaps so as to provide advice and inputs to meet their needs.
• It is a business so ensure to source input at good prices and quality.
Agro dealership requires both technical and business skills and if done properly can be profitable. The livelihood of many farmers also depends on what they get out of their farms. And the starting point for many is the kind of inputs they buy and how they use it. Thus been an agro dealer is a business of trust, integrity and the touching of lives when done properly. You will be on the path of helping farmers meet their needs and producing quality food and agricultural products. So when next you visit an agro dealer shop or you decide to open yours kindly have these in mind.

Watch Out For Part Two Of This Blog Post Where I We Would Learn More About The Functions Of An Agro dealer
RESEARCH SOURCE: MARKETING TRAINING MANUAL BY USAID NIGERIA AND IFDC

 

PHOTO CREDIT :Flicker/ GRM International