farmers lacked access to agro-inputs, traveling up to 20
kilometers to purchase them. 2SCALE advised opening
additional agro-input outlets in the villages. Distributors
from the communities were hired and trained in handling
the chemicals, seeds, and the other products sold. There are
40 distributors, of which 25% are youth. The distributors
collect the inputs from Acila and go to the villages to sell
them, so services are closer to the farmers. Some have
motorcycles; others use public transportation. Distributors
are given a reduced price to cover their transportation costs
and receive a commission on sales from Acila. Those who
are trustworthy also receive products on credit for
two weeks.
Employing Women is Good for the Company and
for the Community – A Responsible Business
Acila has 14 employees. There are also 35 temporary
workers who operate the machinery when it is very busy.
Six out of the 14 permanent employees are women. In the
office, all are women except for the accountant. “Women
commit themselves to the work; they are honest and loyal.
I also feel that women should be strengthened. In Africa,
women are often left behind and overloaded; they have all
the responsibilities,” says Okiror. For her, opportunities
for training, having a “different” product, and personal
persistence were essential to her career path as an
agro-dealer. “All the women want to give equal opportunities
for women in their business,” she says.
Improving the Lives of Its Employees
The agents who are aggregating grains and those working in
agro-inputs have been able to improve their housing.
Some of them had no transportation, not even a bicycle.
Now some have motorcycles. The level of their children’s
education improved, since they are now able to pay
school fees.
The company helps them to get further in life. Some of the
distributors have opened their own shops and are taking
even more boxes with them each time they to go to Acila to
collect products.
Psaltry International – Cassava
Partnership, Nigeria
Yemisi Iranloye, managing director of Psaltry International,
shared that when women are able to overcome the gender
discrimination that they face in the start-up phase, especially
with banks, “their gender weakness becomes a strength.”
Everyone wants to be affiliated with a successful woman-led
business. “My dream is income equality betwee men and
women, the same reward for the same work, and more women-
owned companies,” she says.
Psaltry International started in 2005 and is located in
Oyo state in Nigeria. Psaltry produces cassava starch and
supplies mainly Nigerian Breweries (Heineken Group) and
Nestlé. It employs 70 women and 140 men and works with
2,000 farmers (900 women), providing them with a market.
Taking Into Consideration and Addressing Female
Cassava Farmers’ Specific Constraints
Gender-based analysis carried out by 2SCALE teams
and partners following staff gender coaching revealed
that female farmers who supply Psaltry face challenges
with having regular and timely access to productive
resources. They have to pay high costs for labor and lack
access to adequate inputs, mainly improved varieties,
and information on the use of these inputs. Because of
cultural norms and customary law, they do not own land.
They are also overburdened with domestic chores and
responsibilities within their households.
2SCALE encouraged
Psaltry to introduce
special measures
to support women,
such as supplying
labor at harvest
time and providing
discounts on costs to
transport women’s
produce to the
factory – Cassava
Partnership, led by
Psaltry and Nigerian
Breweries, Nigeria.
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