The verdict in three sentences
In West Africa, 30 to 40 % of the fruit and vegetable harvest is lost before it reaches the plate, for lack of cold, market access and visible pricing. An agri-tech app connects the producer to the buyer, shows the daily price, manages lots with temperature tracking, and pays the producer directly in mobile money. The producer sells faster, wastes less, and gets paid without a greedy middleman.
Where losses come from
Post-harvest losses are not inevitable: they concentrate on a few precise links, all addressable by the tool.
| Link | Typical loss | What the app does |
|---|---|---|
| Unsold harvest | 10-15 % | Instant listing, daily price |
| Cold break in transit | 8-12 % | Temperature tracking per lot, alerts |
| Lack of buyers | 5-10 % | Buyer book, online orders |
| Opaque pricing | Margin captured | Displayed price, tracked negotiation |
| Slow payment | Cash squeeze | Instant mobile money |
| Perishable overstock | 5-8 % | Expiry alerts + clearance |
The heart of the model: make cold and price visible. When a buyer sees a tomato lot held its temperature and knows the daily price, they buy with confidence, and the producer sells before it rots.
What it costs in 2026
| Plan | 2026 price | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS Producer | 9 900 FCFA/month | Lots, daily price, orders |
| SaaS Cooperative | 39 900 FCFA/month | Multi-producer, cold tracking |
| Custom marketplace Starter | 2 500 000 FCFA | Multi-vendor, split payment |
| Marketplace Growth | 5 000 000 FCFA | Logistics, KYC, analytics |
| Platform commission | 5-15 % configurable | On each sale |
| Mobile money fee | ~1-1.5 % | Per collection |
In Nigeria or Kenya, the same model runs with Paystack or M-Pesa and refrigerated logistics; loss and commission rates remain comparable 2026 orders of magnitude.
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Mini case study
Ibrahima, a market gardener in the Niayes zone, produces ~40 tonnes of tomatoes/year worth about 8 000 000 FCFA at market price. He was losing ~35 % (2 800 000 FCFA) for lack of fast sales. With the Cooperative app (39 900 FCFA/month = 478 800 FCFA/year), cold tracking and a buyer book, his losses fall to ~15 %, i.e. 1 200 000 FCFA. He recovers 1 600 000 FCFA of extra harvest sold, minus 478 800 FCFA subscription and ~1.2 % mobile money fees: a net gain above 1 000 000 FCFA/year.
FAQ
Do I need expensive temperature sensors? No, you start with manual entry at checkpoints, then add connected sensors only if volume justifies it. The point is to track cold breaks.
How is the producer paid? Directly in Wave or Orange Money after order validation, with automatic split if a platform commission applies. Payment lands in minutes, not weeks.
Who sets the daily price? It is entered by the cooperative or marketplace admin, and visible to all. This transparency cuts out middlemen's hidden margins.
What commission does the platform take? It is configurable between 5 and 15 % depending on the chosen business model. On a multi-vendor marketplace, this rate funds logistics and support.
Does it work without a high-end smartphone? Yes, the app is optimised for 3G and entry-level phones, with a light mode for rural areas.
Let's talk about your project. We build your agri marketplace with cold-chain tracking and mobile money payment. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
