Why sourcing a season's inputs from one supplier usually costs less

It is natural to price each input separately and take the lowest quote on each. Seeds from one dealer, fertiliser from another, feed from a third. On paper that produces the cheapest basket. In practice it rarely does.

The first cost is transport. Three separate collections from three locations, often on three different days, is three sets of fuel and three days of someone's time. For a smallholder that time is the farm's own labour, taken off the farm during the part of the season when it is least affordable.

The second is timing. Inputs have to arrive in the right order and before the rains, not after. A supplier handling the whole basket can schedule against your planting date. Three unconnected suppliers each optimise for their own stock position, and the item that arrives late is the one that sets your season back.

The third is recourse. When feed underperforms or seed germinates poorly, a supplier who wants your business next season will deal with it. A one off purchase at the lowest price in the market comes with no such relationship.

We supply seeds, seedlings, fertiliser and feed together for exactly this reason, and we price bulk and farmer group orders accordingly. The saving is usually not in the unit price. It is in everything around it.