Seychelles Agricultural Agency - Post-event evaluation of Grand Anse requisite store Open Day |27 July 2018

Following the open day event at the Grand Anse requisite store, organised by the Seychelles Agricultural Agency (SAA) last month, the SAA shares details of their evaluation of this first-time event, and what the focus of the store will be going forward based on feedback from farmers and members of the public.

Grand Anse requisite store

SAA’s main store is the one located at Grand Anse and this is where all inputs are primarily received before distribution to the three requisite stores on Mahé (Anse Boileau, Union Vale & Val D’Andorre) and the one on Amitié, Praslin.

The store serves a large group of farmers (more than 600 registered farmers) and the general public who are being encouraged to do their own home gardening, to cultivate their own fruits and vegetables. This brings great benefit to the country as it helps to contribute towards food security and a healthier population.

Today the store has improved to offer more variety and choices of products. It is also more focused on bio and organic products; although we still have chemical pesticides and fertilisers, we have also introduced bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides.

Main objective of Open Day

It was about selling the products (e.g. seeds, hose, insecticides, fungicides, water pumps, fertilisers) at the store to the public and farmers, and to encourage people to have their own home gardens and to grow their own food.

It allowed the public to buy products in small quantities as the Grand Anse main store usually sells in bulk. It was also a chance for the public to meet with SAA extension officers for advice on any problems/issues concerning their plants.

Sale of products

The sale of items went very well and the people were mostly interested in the seed varieties, fruits and vegetable plants, although they expected to see more sales of fruits, vegetables and root crops which were available, but not to the extent that they wanted to see as on that day the focus was more on the agricultural items in the store.

All of the items that were on sale were in great demand by farmers and the public who are doing their own home gardening and who appreciate the importance of such items for good harvests and healthier foods/lifestyles.

It is to be noted that the store also has irrigation systems which comprise of their fittings and hose, and this is very much needed for watering home gardens and farms, and can even be useful for household use.

Main enquiries

The extension officers assisted the public with some issues concerning their crops whereby some people said that they were having fungus/insects attacking their plants and required a solution which was provided to them by the officers.

 Feedback

The public did not seem to understand the concept of the Open Day as they expected to see more farmers selling fruits and vegetables as a food sale. However, some understood and they bought their fruit and vegetable plants, seeds and fertilisers, and most of the products that the store was offering.

The event helped to create awareness, since most people were not aware of the products that are available for sale at the store, and even after the Open Day some people are still enquiring about the products that they viewed during the Open Day.

Future plans and requirements

Being a first open day event, it is always good to take into account the opinions of the public on how to do better, and the agency will try its best to meet the expectations of the public and the farmers, and to meet their needs that will benefit both their households and farms.

Continuous communication between the public and the store is however necessary, through advertisements and continuous feedback on the items that are being sold.

The accompanying photographs (courtesy SAA) show some highlights of the Grand Anse requisite store Open Day in June this year.