Mbabane — Placing an online order for farming inputs saves Velebantfu Dlamini about USD12 in transport fees for a round trip of about 320 kilometres. The 26-year-old vegetable farmer from Nkhungwini in the Shiselweni Region, south of Eswatini, uses a portal to order from the National Agriculture Marketing Board (NAMBoard) Farm Store. NAMBoard then delivers his order leaving Dlamini with time to stay in the field and look after his crops.
"Ordering through the portal is convenient although the delivery of the inputs takes about two weeks longer," Dlamini told IPS, adding: "During the COVID-19 lockdown, I waited for fertilisers for about two months."
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