Are you a small-scale farmer and desperately want your vegetable produce at Pick n Pay? Well, Pick n Pay Eswatini unpacks the requirements, and which vegetables have the biggest demand at the moment.
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By Ntokozo Nkambule
Eswatini small-scale farmers are always asking themselves the question of how they can get their vegetable produce into local grocery retail outlets such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite, and SPAR.
In an interview with a fresh produce representative from Pick n Pay Eswatini, Inside Biz has unearthed that it is not that complicated, as long as small farmers can prove that their product or vegetables are of quality.
He said when it comes to small farmers they normally recommend them to their network of farmers to screen and see if the product qualifies. He said interested farmers should, therefore, contact them.
“We are more than open to small farmers supplying us with their vegetable produce. As Pick n Pay, we have a wide network of commercial farmers that we work with, more than 600 farmers to be precise. What we do is link small or subsistence farmers to our network. So interested farmers should contact us. This helps us as well because in most cases these orders are once off, and will not be supplied to us on a consistent basis. So, from a quality control and procurement point of view, it makes it easier for us as well” he noted.
In terms of other requirements Pick n Pay’s representative said for subsistence or small farmers do not require a company bank account or a formally registered business. “Well, ideally small farmers should furnish us with a company bank account, but we have become more lenient and flexible with such,” he said.
Furthermore, he encouraged small farmers to venture into other forms of vegetables, and not only produce lettuce and cabbages as there is a strong demand for other vegetables as well. He said vegetable that they would like to see more in their store at the moment is cucumber and carrots.
He added that when it comes to the percentage of sales that goes to farmers and Pick n Pay, it depends on what the farmer and store decide upon, as there is no fixed rate.