Agro tech start-up platform, RLMS, processes $3 million in transactions

Local agro start-up Remote Livestock Marketing System (RLMS), by founder Allister Banks, today announced that their platform has transacted a total $3 million at an ICT for Agriculture conference held in Harare.

The company which runs an online livestock auction created 18 months announced a great deal of bottom-line success since pilot launch. In his presentation, founder Allister Banks indicated that the company has sold livestock valued at more than $3 million with $250,000 (7%) of that coming from the Diaspora. They have also gained significant business and interest from their “lobola” product announced on Techzim earlier this year.

The online system is a catalogue based website where RLMS agents simply upload pictures of livestock together with critical data such as weight and age and in-turn buyers bid for the livestock on offer. RLMS gets a commission on each livestock sold through their system and through trained agents, also offers physicals livestock assessments on behalf of clients to support the online side of things.

RLMS pitched and won the ZOL start-up challenge in 2012 and has successfully raised additional funding to improve and simplify the web interface. Most importantly is the difference this solution is making to small holder livestock farmers in Zimbabwe. 67% of livestock successfully assessed on the site is from small holder farmers and the service is looking to benefit 3,530 families in the coming five to six years.