Post-harvest losses that are a major concern among small scale farmers in Kenya due to, among others, lack of proper storage facilities and a ready market for their produce.
To address this, a group of techies came up with a platform that links the farmers to available storage facilities that allows them to exchange agricultural commodities and obtain collateral based loans.
Growing up, Josephine Andeti and her colleagues saw farmers in their areas struggle to make profits from their farm produce.
In 2021, they founded Radava Mercantile a platform that links farmers to registered warehouses to store their agricultural commodities.
At the storage facilities, the framers are issued with warehouse receipts. Those who have been onboarded on Radava Mercantile, upload the receipts and potential buyers are able to find them.
Josephine says, Radava Mercantile mostly onboards farmers through cooperative societies and groups.
Today the venture has onboarded 1400 farmers, majority of them in the counties of Trans Nzoia, Bungoma and Uasin Gishu.
Sostene Keino, a local farmer and beneficiary of warehouse storage, says, warehouses are the best storage facilities for grains.
Radava Mercantile charges between five to ten per cent of the transaction fee as a way of making of making profits.
And like in other warehouses where a farmer is required to store at least fifty bags, the venture has struck an agreement with partner storing facilities to accommodate farmers with fewer bags.
Radava Mercntile hopes the government can address some challenges such as policies and lack of infrastructure to reach farmers in remote areas.
