TRADING of agricultural products and supplies is now as easy as sending
"text" messages (SMS or short message service).
Trading portal
B2Bpricenow.com now allows subscribers to get information on the prices of
agricultural products and supplies using their mobile
phones through a
tie-up with Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom.
With this
service, agricultural traders who are either Smart or Globe subscribers can post
or change the prices of agri-products or supplies whenever they want and
wherever they are. They can even check out the
latest prices of commodities
"on the move."
Those who are not yet members of the trading portal are
required to sign up at the website first. The website will require them to
create usernames and passwords. Once their membership is approved, they can
start using the service by sending special text "commands" to a number
designated by Smart or Globe.
Smart subscribers will send the text
commands to 211.
To canvass the prices of commodities, for instance,
Smart subscribers can key in "B2B" plus the password (supplied to the website)
then send it to 211. Then a message will be sent back to the subscriber saying:
"12345 Green Mango P100.00." "12345" is the identification number, while
Green Mango is the product and 100 pesos is the commodity price of the
product.
"Users of the B2Bpricenow.com services and the
SMS-equivalent services stand by the benefits of this one-of-a-kind
agri-trading. They say that this alternative marketing strategy does away with
middlemen because it allows farmers and entrepreneurs to engage in direct
selling," said Mon Isberto, public affairs head of Smart.
"It used to be
time-consuming and inconvenient for a small farmer to know current agricultural
market prices because he/she has to travel a long way to the city. But with a
mobile phone in hand, he can trade,
and trade effectively," Isberto added.