Kufufuza Msika (Market Research)

We decided to set off on the market research tour to assess the markets in the Luangwa area.This time of year any vehicle heading towards Lusaka is very difficult to access. Many of the farmers have just sold their crops and are eager to head to the big city. We waited by the roadside from 9:30 until 15:30 which is a new record. The truck was overloaded and we didn't get there until after 17:00. We arrived at the school well after dark to find that the guest accommodation was occupied so we crashed on the couches and it was freezing! The demand was less than we had anticipated but it will still be profitable even if it won't be a get-rich-quick miracle. I'm trying to stay positive. Rome wasn't built in a day. An overwhelmingly large operation as the groups introduction to contract farming might have been a disaster anyway. At least that is what I'm going to tell myself.
All three boarding schools made tentative agreements to buy Cabbage, Onion and Tomato from us although two of the schools were only interested in recieving shipments for two of the three terms. Luangwa high school also said that they would buy 100 bags of maize from us.

The follow up meeting went well although three of the farmers were not in attendance. Everyone that came has said that they are financially sound to source the inputs required, which is good. Now our next step is to find a cheap way to order fertilizer (it will have to come from Lusaka or Malawi). We are looking into collaborating with other farmer groups to minimize transport costs. Mr. Chaala at the head office in Nyimba is assisting us in drafting the contracts. It seems like everything could go great but time is really winding down so things have to happen somewhat fast!