By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

Incubatees of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) have been advised to patronize agro input suppliers and off-takers within their localities to save cost and guarantee quality.

The Procurement Officer, LIFE -ND Bayelsa State, Mr. Isaiah Pondi, gave the advice during a working sessions with incubatees and agro inputs suppliers on community procurement and linkage to off-takers,at the state office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

He pointed out that the essence of the working session which is been carried out for all incubatees/beneficiaries across all the local government areas in the state was to create a platform with agro input suppliers to interface, create partnership and relationship for effective collaboration.

Pondi said: “Basically this session is all about trying to link the incubators to the input suppliers so that at the point where they need to get certain inputs for the individual enterprises, they have access to the input suppliers so that they can get it from there because prior to this time, the LIFE-ND office gets these things for them.Before now, the program sources for them and gives to them, there has never been a meeting point between these incubators and the suppliers.

“So we are trying to get the suppliers to them in their various local government areas.Those in Yenagoa, they will get the suppliers from Yenagoa, those in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area will meet with the suppliers there, and so on.

“At the end of the day we are going to achieve less losses. For example, trying to get items from Lagos or Abuja is going to be much more expensive than getting it within the local government where they are.

“So they will be sourcing it locally instead of going too far to spend more costs for transportation and other expenses to secure those particular products. So we want to minimize expenses for the beneficiaries so that they can make more gain.

“I will advise them not to source for their inputs elsewhere. I will advise them rather to, source it locally because they are going to have the contacts of the service providers so they can call them at any point in time to get whatever inputs that they need.We also have the inputs off takers, the product off takers come to buy off the produce from the beneficiaries.”

In her remark, A fish farmer incubatee, Ruth Ayibatari, expressed appreciation to LIFE-NG for the gesture, noting that with the current economic situation where cost of transportation has skyrocketed, the interface with inputs suppliers and off takers will help them to eliminate cost and risks to maximize profits.

She said: “As a fish farmer, I need fish seeds since I don’t produce my fish seeds. So I need the suppliers to give me the fish seeds.My fish too, they need feeds.I also need the suppliers too to supply me feeds.So this platform really helped me as It would link me to them so I can have quality fish seeds and quality feed from them.

“Then there are times too I might be cash trapped. I will run back to them. Since they’re in my environment. Then aside that too I can also link them to my fellow fish farmers and those of my trainees. So through my suppliers, I can also link them.So it’s more like broadening the supply market.

“We are really grateful for this opportunity, LIFE-ND shouldn’t stop because more like this is of great advantage to us. Now they’re equipping us how we can easily get our feet within our environment.You agree with me.The economy now cost of transportation is really really high. So with these suppliers, with my environment, I don’t need to search for feeds outside the state.So within this my locality, I can easily get fish seed and fish feeds.”