English 
Information and agriculture seem to be opposites. On one hand, farmers are traditional. On the other hand, the agricultural industry is experiencing a gradual shift toward technology and information driven decisions. Look at drones, sensors and robots (usually driven by AI technologies) that collect, analyse and use data to inform planning and future production. Smart farming, for example, incorporates automatic watering and seeding robots, harvesting automation and self-running tractors. And above all, there is connectivity which has brought a spectrum of possibilities to farmers at every scale. One such possibility is the procurement of inputs via the web.
Why is information in agriculture important?
Without information there is nothing but intuition and tradition to inform our decisions. And in a country like South Africa experiencing a host of issues, help of the data kind is welcome. In other words, information allows for informed decisions, which ultimately lead to better outcomes. But what information in agriculture are we referring to at Oté?
Procure inputs with an information driven online method like Oté. That is, at Oté, we inform our farmers of global trends, pricing and favourable buying times. With initial focus on fertiliser, this information combined with an innovative online model saves farmers a substantial amount of money.
Why should you take notice?
As the world’s population grows, so does the need for food production. And, with an increase in production comes an increase in the use of fertiliser. Farmers need to ensure that they are using information to drive better decisions for future growth, sustainability and profitability. However, as mentioned, the scope of information in agriculture does not only apply to data, it also applies to the way you buy. Moving to the online, information driven web for procurement of inputs is not only an extension of data use, but is as innovative and useful to your business as the data you collect in the field. Online platforms like the Oté model ensure that you have a more profitable outcome by way of information. In other words, procurement is information driven rather than based on traditional buying times that are not necessarily price favourable.
Have a look at world pricing trends on our website and get in touch to find out how you can procure fertiliser via our online model.