By Kefiloe Kajane
The Lesotho National Developmemnt Cooperation (LNDC) this week finally opened the Maluti Fresh Produce Market, the first of its kind in the country.
Maluti Fresh Market Produce is a fresh produce market offering to its Lesotho and global clients fresh produce handling and trading. The market is engineered to empower local farmers with an integrated fruits and vegetable production chain.
Speaking at the official opening, the LNDC chief executive officer Molise Ramaili said the market was long awaited by the public and LNDC is proud that it is finally being opened.
He said the market is going to help many Basotho to venture into farming and give them an opportunity to penetrate into the international market.
Ramaili said the initiative was in line with the government’s National Strategic II. It considers farming as one of the ways that will help Basotho create jobs to fight poverty. He indicated that the market was made possible with the help of team of experts on fruits and vegetables markets.
“This market is one of the best the country will have as we can compare it to one of the famous markets such as Tshwane Fresh Produce Market in South Africa. The market is going to help improve production of fruits and vegetables in the country and it will also help in economic growth.
“LNDC seeks to fund farmers in order to upscale their produce so that they can meet the capacity of the markets. We have partnered with World Food Programme and Standard Lesotho Bank to promote farmers producing at downscale to upscale. In the next three months, we will put a fund of M2 million for eligible farmers to apply for access to finance. Farmers will also have access to purchase order financing facility,” he said.
Though LNDC established the market, he said Maluti Fresh Market Produce will not be run by the corporation. It will have its own market master who will see its day to day operations.
The Maluti Fresh Produce Market’s market master, Nthako Supu, said the market is open for all fruits and vegetables farmers, big or small from all districts. He said the products will be those of farmers and the market will just be a selling and storage point.
“We are going to use a commission system, where the product will entirely be owned by the farmer and we sell it. The farmer will pay the market a small percentage. This is where also we will be using a law and supply demand where a seller and producer will meet still providing reasonable prices to buyers,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of farmers, the Lesotho National Farmers Union’s vice president, Daniel Chakela, thanked the government of Lesotho for what he said is going to help and give many farmers hope to go back to farming.
He encouraged farmers to work hard and ensure that they monetize on the opportunity given while guaranteeing the market never goes empty.
He pleaded with the government to help in transporting the products as “it is going to be difficult for many farmers especially from far to transport their products to Maseru.”
The market, which will act as a link between local fresh farm producers and the market, was launched in 2018.
