Fresh (wet) markets occur in most towns and villages in
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
, usually surrounded by large numbers of small shops selling foods, consumer items, imported foods and goods, clothing, household goods, etc. With a large portion of the population producing much of their own food, particularly for starches, open markets are where the diet is rounded out with items not self-produced. For those with higher incomes, more of the food consumed is purchased at market. Most vegetables are in villages and town markets, which usually have a major day, or multiple days, where traders and retailers are active in selling perishables in particular. Fish, meats, staple starch crops, legumes, soy and milk cheeses, fruits, and vegetables are available in the market every week of the year in most places with significant variations in the quantity supplied. Staple crops are usually sold to retailers by wholesalers, who obtain them from the producers. Meat is sold by the
butcher
A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...
s who source from the producers. The source of vegetables depends on the season. Regional trade keeps a selection of vegetables available, with price and quantity fluctuations depending on the season. Visits to markets in the
Parakou
Parakou is the largest city in northern Benin, with an estimated population of around 206,667 people, and capital of the Borgou Department. Administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin's 77 communes. Since 2015, its mayor is Sour ...
and
Nikki
Nikki may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Nikki (Barbie), a fashion doll in the Barbie toy line
* Nikki (comics), a Marvel Comics character
* Nikki and Paulo, from the TV series ''Lost''
* Nikki, the mascot of Swapnote
* N ...
areas observed
avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...
s from
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 in Togo and
red onion
Red onions (also known as purple or blue onions in some mainland European countries, though not the UK) are cultivars of the onion (''Allium cepa''), and have purplish-red skin and white flesh tinged with red. They are most commonly used in co ...
s from Niger. Eastern border markets have many Nigerian traders coming into Benin to purchase fruits and vegetables for sale in Nigeria. Most of these transactions are not captured in either of the countries' statistical records. Vegetables traders/retailers obtain their products either from the intermediary traders or directly at the
farm gate if possible. For many items there are unwritten agreements that producers will sell to retailers, not directly to consumers. Intermediaries buy at the farms and transport the products directly to their various market destinations. Women dominate the role of vegetable retailers at these open markets. Vegetable producers market much of their produce in bulk at harvest time because of the highly perishable nature of their products. In general, producers conduct all of their sales immediately after harvest. The long marketing channel of vegetables in the larger peri-urban and urban areas involves several types of intermediaries, from local traders to wholesalers. Studies by INRAB have shown that producers are more inefficient in marketing than in production. There is a lack of market participation of farmers and current barriers to entry by farmers limit their access to markets.
[ ]
The development of
supermarket
A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...
s in Cotonou, the primary city of Benin, is still extremely low.
Erevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
is the only major supermarket/hypermarket based in Cotonou. Headquartered in France, Erevan imports 90% of products from France, either by
air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
or
sea freight depending on the commodity and level of demand. They pay extra costs to their freight forwarder to include door-to-door delivery service, since there are no third-party
refrigerated transportation providers that provide that service. Erevan pays that extra cost to ensure that their product maintains European Union Standards for food safety and handling when perishable products are being transferred to their store. Some fresh products are locally procured, but this remains very limited.
Markets in Benin include:
*
Dantokpa Market
The Dantokpa Market, or simply Tokpa ( fon, Dantɔkpa), is the largest open-air market in West Africa, located in Cotonou, Benin.It is one of the most important retailing areas in Benin, covering over 20 hectares. It is also economically importa ...
: This market, located in Cotonou, is the largest open-air market in West Africa.
[{{Cite web, url=http://cotonou-ca-bouge.net/Le-marche-Dantokpa-de-Cotonou.html, title=Le marché Dantokpa de Cotonou, author=Géraud, work=cotonou-ca-bouge.net, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018183907/http://cotonou-ca-bouge.net/Le-marche-Dantokpa-de-Cotonou.html, archive-date=18 October 2011, access-date=7 June 2012]
* Malanville Grain Market: This market functions twice a week and is located on the bank of the
River Niger
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, ...
, in the northeast of Benin and shares the border with Niger Republic and northwest Nigeria,
Kebbi State
Kebbi state ( ha, Jihar Kebbi; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in the northwestern Nigeria, Kebbi state is bordered east and north of Sokoto and Zamfara states, and to the south by Niger state while ...
. A bridge spans the Niger River linking Benin to Niger Republic. Massive movement of grains and other commodities in trucks was observed and the offloading of commodities from Benin and neighboring countries was regular. Corn, beans, rice, peanuts, cashews, pineapples, cassava, yams, and other various tubers from Benin are sold to mostly traders from Niger Republic. Traders from the Niger Republic bring different types of beans, including soybeans, to sell in Benin. Corn sold for about US$45 per 100 kg bag (July 2013) at that market while price for the same quantity is approximately US$39 in Nigeria. Like Nigerian farmers, corn farmers in Benin feared becoming uncompetitive if Nigeria permits free imports of corn.
*
N'Dali
N'Dali is a city and arrondissement in the north of Benin, and the capital of the Commune of N'Dali in the Borgou Department. The commune covers an area of 3748 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 113,604 people. In 2008 there w ...
and surrounding area markets: The main marketday here is on Saturday. This major east–west major crossroad market's selection of goods there ranged from locally grown staple crops such as yam, corn, tomatoes, rice,
eggplant
Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit.
Mos ...
leaves, to beans brought down from Malanville and imported
parboiled rice
Parboiled rice (also called converted rice and easy-cook rice) is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk. The three basic steps of parboiling are soaking, steaming and drying. These steps make the rice easier to process by hand, while ...
. For items like onions or soap, the item price is kept constant while adjustments are made on the quantity sold for that fixed price. Dissimilarly, prices for a measure of grains are adjusted based on wholesale purchase prices. Interestingly, cow milk and soy cheese (tofu) are also available. The cattle killed and sold in this market are either local or brought down from Malanville, and it was thought that some of these cattle pass through N'Dali on their way to Nigeria. West of N'Dali up to
Sokodumnou village (about 40–50 miles from N'Dali center) are dry vast lands featuring piles of harvested cotton and
nomadic cattle rearing. Village markets along the road are also not regular and states of food items displayed for sale at these markets indicate obvious scarcity and poverty. People at these markets are predominantly older, with few young ones. Many cannot speak French (Benin's official language) beyond a few words, indicating that they receive little if any formal education.
* Nikki Market: Market day here falls on Thursday and is held every 4 days. Similar to N'Dali, a variety of goods are being sold on that non-market day. The Nikki market is bigger in size and traffic than the N'Dalimarket.
*
Derassi Cattle Market: Held every Wednesday, the Derassi Cattle Marketplace is located between Nikki and
Peonga, on the side of a dirt road. Despite its remote location, it bustles with hundreds of people coming from various locations within Benin and Nigeria. On one market day visited, 132 cattle had been sold before noon. This was an increase of 30 cattle over the 102 sold the year before according to their record book. The number of cattle sold can reach 180 at the peak of the rainy season, in July, while it dwindles in the dry season, as the cattlemen and their herds move away in search of green pasture and water. Depending on the size and health status of the cattle, prices range between 60,000 CFA for a small cow and up to 800,000 CFA for a big bull. Similarly, sheep and goats prices range between 15,000 CFA and 60,000 CFA per animal, but can be sold at 100,000 CFA for the Muslim holiday called
Tabaski
Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah's ...
. Because of the nomadic culture of cattlemen, conflicts with local farmers arise over for damaged crops and reduced harvests due to grazing.
References
Retail markets in Benin