Agricultural and Food e-Marketing in Ghana and why ? www.akuafoadanfo.

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Agriculture is the basis why we have food on our table in our homes every day. The
extension offices and other agro scientist are doing what they can in studying and
research on new methods to deliver quality crops to the farmer to farm and harvest.
Agriculture is by far the most important sector of Ghanas economy, engaging about
50% of the labour force. Ghana has different weather conditions, ranging from the
tropical climate to temperature which makes it possible to have nearly all
agricultural products in the country.
Presently, agriculture holdings are generally small and spread, farming is often of
the survival diversity. The economic benefits of large scale farming are recognized,
the government favours the formation of cooperative societies and settlements to
encourage industrial farming.
Despite the abundant supply of rivers, a favorable weather and wide land scope for
cultivation, productivity is still low due to the in-efficient methods of access to
market because most farmers are not literate, therefore not aware of modern
agricultural strategic marketing methods. Some of the literate ones that are into
agriculture are not finding it enjoyable because of the traditional method employed
in marketing of their products.
E-marketing holds a number of benefits such as a wide market reach coupled with
the transportation cost and post harvest lost, however, there are some challenges
such as the difficulties experienced by the peasant farmers to connect to buyers
and consumers as a result of the crude means the so call market queens use in
marketing their produce. Security of information sharing especially financial
transaction is also of great concerns.
Despite these difficulties benefits of e-marketing much more surpass the challenges
and most of these difficulties are addressed in our study. The focus area of this
study is to market agricultural food products electronically.
Akimedis Consult is a well-established company in Ghana. It is totally owned and
controlled by distinguished directors and a team of managers having the most
know-how in the line of the Agro e-marketing business.
The Company carries out trade business activities in various agricultural farms
especially from Ghana. The company was set up in 2013 with a project call
akuafoadanfo.com. Website to help the local farmers to market their farm products
to the international world.

Akuafoadanfo.com is known in Ghana by its history, and has a bigger share in the
Ghanaian agro market, and with its partner group of companies it is capable to
cover more than 50- 80% % of the Ghanaian Agro Market.
And what make us the most trusted name among the other competitors are our
high quality services and the willingness to stand by our customers both the farm
produce sellers and the buyers to solve all their problems arisen from the B2B
transactions
As a company established in Ghana we become more dedicated in economic
activities of our farmers, buyers will come to order to be supply at least some of the
products and services which they need. Thus begins a process of exchange between
buyers and sellers (farmers). For a while buyers and sellers remain in immediate
contact and each party is able to determine what the other needs and values are, so
therefore they will be willing to exchange. As the market increases the number and
types of exchanges expand, there is a connected need for increasing focused
marketing services such as physical distribution, storage, and market accessibility.
There are a number of participants that also comes with many of the specialized
services being provided by mediators between the seller and ultimate buyer. Few
buyers and sellers are in direct contact with one another and communication
between them is channeled through what we call the queen mother system this
looks very complex marketing system. In these introductory findings it is dedicated
to exploring the nature of traditional marketing and the globalization marketing
systems.
Objectives
This objective is to help understand our findings:
1. The relevance of marketing to the agricultural and food sectors in Ghana
2. The meaning of marketing concept
3. Why it is necessary to implement the marketing concept throughout food and
agricultural marketing systems
4. The functions of marketing, and
5. The modes of operation of some of the major types of agricultural and food
marketing enterprises
Structure of our findings
In this section the argument and the reason as to why marketing is of increasing
importance to the food and agricultural sectors in our country. This leads into an
explanation of the concept of marketing. The nature of marketing systems is also

discussed. This is followed by a description of the principal functions of marketing

and suggestions as to how these can be conducted in a customer orientated way.
Concern is then given to the changes that development will bring to the food
industries of our country and the implications for agriculture as the supplier of raw
materials to these industries. The remainder of this survey is committed to an
overview of the operations of the principal forms of agricultural and food marketing
enterprise to be found in our country.
The importance of agricultural and food marketing in our country
In many countries agriculture is the biggest single industry. Agriculture typically
employs over fifty percent of the labour force in less develop countries with industry
and commerce dependent upon it as a source of raw materials and as a market for
manufactured goods. Hence many argue that the development of agriculture and
the marketing systems which require strategic and innovative thinking to improve
upon it are at the heart of the economic growth process in our country.
Furthermore, whereas in developed countries the poor are relatively few and
therefore it is economically possible to establish special food distribution
programmes to meet their needs, the scale of poverty in our country is such that
the commercial marketing system must be improve upon to perform the task of
food distribution to poor and to market our agricultural food product to the
international community.
Economic freedom itself provides the desire towards more difficult and more
efficient marketing systems. As suggests countries experience economic growth,
their rate of urbanization tends to increase considerably. Whereas the rate of
population growth, in developing countries averagely very low. In essence, this
means that the number of people, in urban areas, needing to be fed by rural people,
will double within the short possible years.
This has clear implications to agricultural production and the marketing systems
that has direct production and distribute the farm product to the points of its
consumption. Traditional way of farming is likely to reduce its importance as farmers
respond to the increased opportunities in other sector like the mining and the oil
sectors, agricultural food farms are likely to decrease in numbers whilst probably
become labour intensive and more capital intensive.
The likely input of agricultural and food marketing, towards attempts to improve
rural incomes in our country, The difference of incomes between the rural and urban
areas draws people away from agricultural production and places great pressure
upon the infrastructure and social services of our country.
Nowhere was this more dramatically established than in the oil fund countries when
petroleum oil was discovered and then exploited in those countries starts. A large

number of jobs were created in the urban areas and people deserted agricultural
production and migrated to the city where oil was discovered.
Most of the oil fund countries have become a net importer of many agricultural
products especially Nigeria of which it had formerly been a net exporter of
agricultural food product. For as long as the world price for petroleum products
remained high the economy condition could well affect the agricultural sector.
However, we can still continue to motivate people to go into agricultural food
farming to avoid food shortage by the year 2020. This would be possible if the gap
between urban and rural incomes will be reduced. Farmer Based Organizations
(FBO) Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), including other small-holding
farmer base unions, can greatly improve their earning potential by adopting a
market orientation. They can be encouraged to add value to commodities by adding
to their mode of marketing and value added products.
So far this argument has been set in the context of commercial marketing but social
marketing should also be acknowledged. Social marketing identifies human needs in
non-competitive economies and/or sectors of society and defines the means of
delivering products and services to meet these needs. The marketing mix of social
marketing strategies is evaluated using quite different criteria from those employed
in assessing purely commercial marketing strategies.
Criteria such as the percentage of the target market reached with the technology,
products, processes or services, quantities produced and distribution. The product,
service or technologies are more often employed. Benefits are measured in terms of
development goals, such as improved availability of food status on the Ghanaian
market or increased rural incomes. However, the criteria used to evaluate
commercial marketing strategies should not automatically be eliminated, because
these improve the efficiency of some aspects of social marketing strategy without
preventing the achievement of social objectives.
The marketing concept and marketing systems
It is described as the involvement and movement of a product or commodities from
the point of production to the point of consumption.
This is a definition which many organizations, and governments, would recognize as
describing their own activities in commodity marketing. However, a management
orientation focusing all the activities of the organization on satisfying customer
needs and wants, thereby helping achieve the organization's long-range
objectives.
This definition promotes a customer orientation and since the organizations longterm objectives will include its own continued existence it takes account of the need
for sustainability. Marketing is just as relevant to development projects, aid

agencies, extension service organizations, and the like, as it is to commercial

business. The marketing concept is that an organization achieves its goals through
the provision of customer satisfaction. Marketing is not an activity to which an
organization turns its attention at the end of the production phase of operations.
Rather marketing needs to be directing production in accordance with clear signals
from the marketplace as what is needed by customers.
The marketing concept must be adopted throughout not only the entire
organization, but the entire marketing system. A system is a complex of interrelated
component parts or sub-systems which have a defined common goal. The
agricultural and food marketing system comprises all of the functions, and agencies
who perform those activities, that are necessary in order to profitably exploit
opportunities in the marketplace. Each of the components, or sub-systems, is
independent of one another but a change in any one of them impacts on the others
as well as upon the system as a whole.
There is a danger that the marketing concept will be adopted by some parts of the
system but not others. Thus, for example, a food manufacturer may be trying hard
to implement the marketing concept and offer products that meet the country
needs of a target market. If, however, the manufacturer has to rely upon a farming
community that is still very much production oriented, for raw material supplies,
then the overall marketing objectives may be frustrated. In the same way, if only
some functions are performed according to the marketing concept then the system
as a whole may not achieve a market orientation.
For instance, the marketing department may set out to serve the market for a high
quality fruits and vegetables, for which it can obtain premium prices, but if
transportation is performed using the same open-topped bulk carrying tractors used
to carry food stuffs then it is unlikely that the farmer will deliver the product in the
right condition for the target market.
The key players in the chain of activities that connect food and agriculture are the
farmer, (or other producers such as fishermen), intermediaries,(the so call market
queen mother) the food processors, and the consumer. In practice they each see
the agricultural/food marketing system from a perspective of self-interest and these
interests are sometimes in conflict
Conflict of interest in agricultural/food marketing systems
Key Players Interests
Farmers Maximum price, unlimited quantities
Manufacturers Low purchase price, high quality
Traders and retailers Low purchase price, high quality

Consumers Low purchase price, high quality

The farmer's interest is focused on getting the best return from his produce, which
usually equates to maximum price for unlimited quantities. Manufacturers want
least cost, best quality produce from the farmer so that he can sell it at competitive,
but profitable, prices. Traders and retailers want high quality and reliable supplies
from the manufacturer or farmer, at the most competitive prices. Consumers are
interested in obtaining high quality products at low prices. Clearly, there are
conflicting interests here.
The objective of akuafo adanfo.com platform is to promote the effective utilization
of modern communications tool especially the use of internet to promote effective
input distribution on best marketing practice to sale our Agro product to the world
and also has knowledge market access information between farmers and buyer as a
whole.
Eliminate the cost of post harvest lost, resources the cost of transport to reach out
to buyers and market accessibility.
Allows for farmers to reach the right sources of buyers to their day to day farm
produce through our call centre lines
Promote green-business operations by reducing the dependence on the so call
queen mother who controls prices and the cost of transportation from the farm to
the market in the country.
Solutions:
The Solution for this service comes in two unique combined forms
1. The setup and use of our 24/7 call center services that will provide affordable and
effective communication services between our staffs and the farmer base
organization (FBO) groups, the farm equipment/ spare parts suppliers and sellers
and farm input sellers etc
2. The registered farmers ( sellers) are tied onto a specific our online Agro emarketing shop to market and sale their product on our website for a period of one
whole year (1) for them to enjoy localized and international market information in
the Agro business industry
Services:
The Organization of Akuafoadanfo.com is organized into four (4)
divisions:

Farmers advertise their products (Sales and Marketing)

Buyer shop online
Delivery services
Network Marketing services
Our Core Values:
Honesty, Integrity, Teamwork
As a Buyer: The marketing concepts of akuafo adanfo.com hold the needs of our
customer and are of paramount importance. A farmer can be said to have adopted a
market orientation when harvesting is purposely planned to meet specific demands
or market opportunities. If the buyer contract farmer who wishes to meet the needs
of a food processor manufacturing maize or cassava based drinks will only purchase
improved sorghum seed. He/she will avoid any inputs likely to adversely affect the
storage and/or processing properties of the sorghum and will continually seek new
and better inputs which will add further value to his/her product in the eyes of the
customer. In making his/her buying decisions his underlying consideration will be
the effect upon the attractiveness of his/her output to the markets he/she is seeking
to serve.
The buyer's motive is the opportunity to maintain or even increase profits and not
necessarily to provide, for example, the best quality and improving quality. In some
instances the farmer who works hard and produces a better food crops, is not
market oriented since he/she is ignoring the real needs of the consumer.
As a Farmer Selling: Of all the marketing system this is probably the one which
people find least difficulty in associating with marketing. Indeed to many the terms
marketing and selling are the same.
Whereas selling might create a consumer, marketing is about creating a customer.
The difference is that marketing is about establishing and maintaining long term
relationships with customers.
Selling is part of marketing in the same way that promotion, advertising and
merchandising are components, or sub-components of the marketing mix. These all
directed towards persuasion and are collectively known as marketing
communications. With our new and innovative Agro online marketing platform which
comes as a solution to help market our local farm product to the international world.
The first step is registering on www.akuafoadanfo.com upload your products with
the perfect description that can captivate minds then sit back and let
akuafoadanfo.com link you with buyers by promoting your goods and helping you

record a high number of sales ALL over the world. On akuafoadanfo.com, everything
is organized and all you need to set the motion is to continually restock and make
sure the visuals do justice to the lovely products and that is our obligation as a
farmer. Are you worrying about the cost? Akuafoadanfo.com already has that
covered as there are modes of payments for buyers to make your inflow very easy
but for the seller a yearly registration fees will be charged.
BUYERS PROTECTION
SHOP WITH EE-ZEE
Welcome to the AKUAFOADANFO.COM Buyer Protection, which allows you to shop
with confidence. We work hard to ensure that you have a great buying experience
with the Ghanas #1 Online Agro Shopping Centre. Where buyer buy directly from
the farm.

SAFE
Akuafaadanfo.com SAFEPAY system automatically secure your online purchases as a
buyer
SHOPPING @EZEE
Fast and simple transactions in just 3 steps. A shopping experience that suits the
needs of fast shopping lifestyle and at your own comfort

Storage: The farmer and consumers gain from a marketing system that can make
food product available when it is needed. A farmer, buyer, co-operative, marketing
board or retailer who stores a product provides a service. These service costs
money and there are risks in the form of market lost and it affect the profit of the
buyer.
Transportation: The transport department is mostly one of the department that
transport product and make them available where it is needed or directly to the
buyer without adding unreasonably to the overall cost of the produce. Adequate
performance of this function requires consideration of alternative routes and types
of transportation, with a view to achieving timeliness, maintaining produce quality
and minimizing shipping costs if possible.
Effective transport management is critical to efficient marketing. Whether operating
a single vehicle or a fleet of vehicles, transportation has to be carefully managed,
including cost monitoring - operations on different road types, fuel maintenance and
repair. Transport managers also have to consider the advantages and

disadvantages, our timely delivery of product from the farm to the buyer as quick
possible time.
Financing: In almost any agricultural production system there are expected
collaborations between investing in the necessary raw materials (e.g. machinery,
seeds, fertilizers, packaging, stocks etc.) and receiving the payment for the sale of
produce. During these periods some individual or institution must finance the
investment.
The question of where the funding of the investment to farm is to come from, at all
points between harvesting and consumption, is one that marketing must address.
Consider the problem of a farmer who wishes to go into cassava farming to supply it
to the brewerys but does not have enough capital and even if the farmer has and
the brewerys did not buy what happen and how do the farmer pay for the money
borrowed from bank? This is a common marketing problem, in our country; the
challenge to our farmers is market accessibility that is available for effective sale of
their farm product.
Marketing is also concerned with the financing of the farming itself. Here again
some creative and innovative solutions can be developed such as the
akuafoadanfo.com platform, Where buyers all over the world can contact a farmer in
Ghana.
Or a farmer, in our country country, may engage in a joint venture with either an
indigenous partner and/or with a foreign partner. The agreement between parties to
a joint venture normally specifies their respective contributions of resources, share
of management control, profit. This agreement can also be made possible on our
B2B
Market intelligence: The role of market intelligence is to reduce the level of risk in
decision making. Through market intelligence the seller finds out what the customer
needs and wants. The alternative is to find out through sales, or the lack of them.
Marketing research helps establish what products are right for the market, which
channels of distribution are most appropriate, how best to promote products and
what prices are acceptable to the market. As with other marketing functions,
intelligence gathering can be carried out by the seller or another party such as a
government agency, the ministry of food and agriculture, or some other specialist
organization.
Reliability: A farmer who has invested heavily in he/her farm and choose akuafo
adanfo.com to help market his/ her product will depend solely on us to build up his
farm shop online will be very keen to get reliable supplies and services in terms of
quality, timing and cost. Producers of agricultural produce will be increasingly
judged on their reliability in all of these respects.

Health aspects: We have already said that in the more complicated food markets,
healthy eating can become a priority among consumers. Therefore, farmers will
have to consider the health issues of what they choose to grow. There are two
aspects of health to be taken into account. First, consumers may be interested in
the food itself whether is organic or non organic or better still the famous GMO
product it would be a mistake to think that health issues are confined to the more
complicated food markets or to the wealthier segments of a community. Nutrition is
important in all segments of the market. Even where the poor receive adequate
amounts of food to fend off starvation, they are often underfed. Thus farmers have
to be concerned about the nutritional value of the produce they grow. Secondly, we
call on the ministry of Agriculture to intensifier the campaign to teach the farmers
the RIGHTFULL amount to ANY agro chemicals used in food crops growing in the
country. Our findings shows that most of our agro crops has a short life pad in the
market and this is due to the excessive or over use of agro chemicals by some of
the farmers.
The consumer may be more, or equally, concerned about the food production
methods i.e. the avoidance of chemicals like herbicides, pesticides etc. This may
mean a change to the farmer's husbandry practices with implications for the costs
of production. The consumer and the food industry will expect the farmer to produce
without potentially dangerous chemicals, but at no extra cost to them. This will be
another challenge, but on akuafoadanfo.com we help by information give farmers
the best prates in farming through the e-extension program by the ministry of food
and agricultural.
PRINCIPLES
We keep you informed throughout the processing of your order.
We provide you with the details informations of your seller (farmer) right from the
start.
You can also provide feedback on your seller after receipt of your order, helping
other buyers of the akuafoadanfo.com enhance their buying experience.
Thank you.
May God bless our home land Ghana.