Packaging agro products now money spinner

In the international market, such as in Europe and America, food products can be denied entry into a country by officials at the ports simply because their packaging or labelling is not done right. The product itself may be okay, but many exporters have lost a whole lot of money due to poor packaging and labelling.

Even domestically, to sell local foods in the high-end market, one needs good packaging and labelling for the products. Selling of foodstuffs to high net worth individuals such as busy business executives, professionals, supermarkets, grocery stores, hotels, restaurants, caterers, and other food service providers brings relatively high returns, but the packaging must be really good – of international standard.

A good package and label carrying the name, contact details of the producer or packaging firm is seen as a brand and if the quality of the product is consistent, it brings about brand loyalty. Customers look for it on supermarket stands or get in touch through the contact details on the label. Through this means, many businesses are able to cut out middlemen, sell directly to customers locally or internationally and get bigger profit.

Some dealers however do not process, they simply find a good producer or processor with guaranteed quality, buy in bulk and brand. Before Victor Chukwuogo’s export business grew into processing, he started by packaging the foodstuffs he was selling in Oyingbo Market to international standards. The Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria sells the bulk of the potatoes it produces in branded boxes. This has made it more appealing to high-profile customers.

Brand specialists affirm that commodities such as yams, potatoes, palm oil, honey, garri, elubo do not normally command a premium price when sold without a branded package. Oftentimes, customers have no way of knowing the producers of a commodity at the point of purchase in a market. Some have complained that even foodstuffs from their regular merchant at the market sometimes have different tastes.

Sakirat Oludare, a housewife, recently complains that the palm oil she buys from her regular supplier at the market has different tastes from time to time, saying she suspects that the merchant lies about the palm oil being from the same producer. “I would like to always be able to purchase red palm oil that has the same taste all the time,” she says.

Edobong Akpabio, CEO, Visionage Agro-tech Farms, also a consultant, says “the high net worth individuals have little time for shopping and many of them are not good at haggling in the markets. So, they appreciate the delivery to their offices, homes and so on. But I have observed that these customers like value-added services such as safe packaging, delivery method, and billing.”

Royal Siblings Ventures Limited, owned by Fausat Sanni-Yusuf, is one of such food packaging companies. To guarantee quality, it is into processing as well as packaging, marketing and supplies of some agricultural food produce such as local brown rice (ofada specifically), pure natural honey, cassava flakes (garri) and yam flour (elubo). Due to the demands of the clientele, Sanni-Yusuf says, “We have also introduced pure natural honey fortified with garlic and ginger, or ginger alone to meet the specific health needs of some clientele. We also have different flavours. These products have been prepared under controlled hygienic conditions.”