Log onto the internet at any given moment and you can buy just about anything from anywhere, ranging from cars to clothes and everything in between. But one innovative entrepreneur has applied this e-commerce movement to sell a uniquely African product: cattle.
Allister Banks is the founder of Remote Livestock Marketing System (RLMS), a unique startup based in Zimbabwe.
RLMS is Zimbabwe’s first online marketing system for livestock that allows buyers from all over the world to log on, identify the animals they wish to purchase, conduct the sale and have them delivered to them anywhere in Zimbabwe.
Only in operation since March 2012, RLMS has already seen significant success with over 3,000 animals sold.
Buyers that have logged in come from as far afield as Sweden and Ireland.
And a member of the Zimbabwean diaspora can source, vet and purchase livestock through RLMS and have it delivered to a family member anywhere in Zimbabwe as well.
Allister Banks is a veteran of the cattle business, having worked as an auctioneer for over 20 years.
He recalls having seen livestock sold over the fax and telex lines many years ago, and this, together with his experience of live auctions, was part of the inspiration behind RLMS.
“Over the years I’ve seen that the live auction can be a lottery as far as prices go. The losses of weight and costs of transport to and from the sale pens are significant, especially for smaller players in the livestock industry and so with the recent proliferation of new small scale farmers in Zimbabwe this issue is ever more pertinent,” explains Banks.
However, it was only when developments in the necessary technology took place that RLMS was able to become a viable proposition. The startup required a mix of cheaper remote access to the internet, the ability to compress both video and picture, as well as efficient mobile money services.
It was when all of these became available in Zimbabwe that Banks was able to turn his dream into a reality.
It has not been an easy project to set-up, and over the course of the last two years much tweaking has taken place to push out a system that can handle the many variables and challenges associated with remote and small scale livestock producers. “So with little technical skill and minimal resources, the first trades happened in February of this year over the RLMS platform and the system is now receiving bids from all over the planet. We are now able to provide efficiency and savings to the users,” says an enthusiastic Banks.
While RLMS is now experiencing deserved success, the project has not been without its challenges. Banks admits that initially startup capital was an obstacle as well as the fact that he had no formal technological background. But through trial and error and judicious internet research he was able to build the platform.
Traditional thinking was also a concern as he had to get both the farmers and the rest of the livestock industry to buy into the idea.
“There has not been any radical change to livestock marketing in this country in the last 100 years. So far though, the response from the industry has been encouraging and this, combined with the power of the internet has seen the company’s client base grow impressively,” continues Banks.
Testimony to Banks’ tenacity when it came to building the platform is that in addition to its growing success in the sales arena, RLMS recently won the 2012 Zimbabwe-Online sponsored Jumpstart competition for internet start-ups. This award has subsequently brought the project into contact with more technical partners and potential backers of the project.
“Jumpstart programs and corporate entities are slowly realising that this country has a lot of homegrown talent. By giving this talent the stage and support to showcase their skills to an audience of potential further support providers, they are giving local Zimbabweans an opportunity to provide local ICT solutions that can also be applied to the rest of Africa and who knows where from there,” says Banks.
The success achieved by RLMS in a difficult arena and in such a short period is one that must be used to encourage other Zimbabwean and African entrepreneurs, specifically in the agricultural sectors. Banks believes that the general apathy towards ICT in remote agricultural situations has the potential to change with the growing reach of mobile networks across the country.
Banks explains, “More small-scale farmers are coming into contact with ICT and all the solutions and opportunities that come with it, so too are entrepreneurs using the networks to start delivering exciting new services to the farmers. The space is large and getting larger.”
Looking into the future, RLMS has a vision to provide sustainable changes to the way livestock are marketed in Zimbabwe which will have positive effects on the company’s operating environment. “The focus is to create strong links between farmers and main livestock markets, with a strong bias for agribusiness and ICT. We want to grow nationally and to handle more commodities and offer more goods and services,” says Banks.
The success that RLMS has achieved is just the beginning and going forward the platform will use its capacity to handle other agricultural commodities, goods and services in many locations. Having just completed its pilot phase, the project is now ready to roll out across the country and beyond Zimbabwe.
Allister Banks and RLMS have, through sheer hard work and tenacity, shown young (and not so young) African techies that the solutions to the continents challenges can be achieved. “If you have a dream then work on it day and night, don’t mimic the Facebooks and Twitters of this world, rather collaborate to provide a unique solution and pursue every opportunity to be seen, heard and supported. Ensure you have a rock solid plan and know the industry well in which you will be active, it’s hard out there but keep going,” concludes Banks.
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