NAIROBI: Smallholder farmers in East Africa will be able to trade their produce online following launch of a digital trading platform, G-Soko, on Friday.
The Sh3.59 billion($35 million) platform, funded by UK’s Department for International Development in a five-year trade enhancement programme, enables cross-border trading in grains kept in certified warehouses. Farmers will also use the grain as collateral for loans.
The G-Soko platform, developed by mobile software solutions firm Virtual City, will be run by Eastern Africa Grain Council and, Food Trade Eastern and Southern Africa.
“Right now there is urgency to expand regional food trade due to the exponential growth of staple food imports,” EAGC executive director Gerald Masila said.
