Positive reviews from two farmers

Riaan Eastus, who produces 100 to 120 pigs a week on his farm near Balfour in Mpumalanga, started selling his pigs on Trigga Trader a little over a year ago, when the listeria outbreak left him with no market.

“Unlike sheep or cattle that can be left on the land for some time while waiting for the market to recover, pigs need to be sold when they’re market-ready, or the feeding costs will eat away your profits,” he says.

Today Eastus sells almost all his pigs on the platform.

The main advantage of Trigga Trader, as far as he is concerned, is the broad customer base: “The number of buyers in our region is highly limited, and they only take small volumes at a time, so Trigga Trader gives me access to a far larger market, which also generally translates into better prices.”

A pork producer from Pretoria, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the platform had pulled him through during the listeria outbreak, when he had nowhere to take his pigs.

Even now, with an abundance of pigs on the market and hence low prices, the platform provides him with an outlet.

What he particularly likes about the platform is the way it shows price trends: “Prices on the platform generally start to climb or decline about two to three weeks before the trend hits the big buyers.”

He is also highly satisfied with Trigga Trader’s after-sales care. “They’re quick to respond when you have any troubles. For example, I was unhappy with an abattoir that didn’t clean my truck before sending it back to me, and they sorted it out in no time.”

He sees Trigga Traders as a platform that allows farmers to expand production if they have limited outlets for their pigs.