NAIROBI, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- In need of a goat but not sure where to find it, Dennis Kimathi, a livestock keeper in Naivasha, northwest of Nairobi, Kenyan capital, turned to an online farmers marketplace.
He posted on Monday, "I am looking for a young, healthy milking goat." He then put his contact on the site and a deadline that he wanted to have it, with the post attracting tens of offers.
Another buyer was looking for a number of Kienyeji chickens, a popular variety in the East African nation, weighing between 1-2kg and was willing to spend 18,000 shillings (about 180 U.S. dollars).
Similarly, someone else was looking for crude avocado oil while another gelatin, with both noting that they had searched for the products in vain.
Over the years, most of those who have been using the online marketplaces in the East African nation were farmers selling their produce.
But a rise in the popularity of online trade in the country has seen buyers seeking specific quality and affordable products advertise what they want inviting sellers.
The buyers are becoming as aggressive as the sellers, with the former getting opportunity to choose from wide range of offers thus getting better prices.
"Looking for sellers online is much (convenient) than going to the open air market. First is that you get a variety of offers from different places at affordable prices and the buyer is ready to deliver the product to your farm," said Vincent Munyao, a trader who uses multiple online marketplaces to scout for farm produce.
Munyao noted that through the sites, he has been able to get people from outside Kenyan selling produce he wants.
"There is a time I wanted to buy value-added eggs that are not available locally and I posted online. I got offers from sellers in Uganda and one from Abuja, Nigeria. I settled on the one from Uganda," he said.
A survey at several of the online sites revealed that buyers are not only looking for farm produce but also services.
"I am looking for someone who can shred all farm waste that includes coconut remains and maize cobs and stalks," a buyer posted on an online marketplace.
Joseph Macharia, the founder of Mkulima Young, an online information site and marketplace, noted that there is a shift by buyers to online sites as they seek affordable, quality and a variety of specific products and services.
"Online sites for years have been about people selling goods but this is changing as digital technology takes center-stage in the Kenyan agriculture industry," he said.
According to him, the shift to online sites is growing as more people seek convenience and trust grows in digital transactions.
"Just as farmers are seeking to get better prices by cutting off brokers by embracing online sites, buyers are also using the platforms to get good prices directly from producers. The numbers on our site attest to this fact," he said.
He noted that both sellers and buyers of agricultural products and services online are fast gaining experience in digital marketing, driving uptake of the technology.
"Digital technology can no longer be ignored because it opens a huge untapped potential for both buyers and sellers among other entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain. Young farmers and agro traders are the ones definitely driving up the use of technology," said Bernard Mwaso of Edell IT Solution in Nairobi.
