Moving Farm Produce Between Ibadan and Lagos Markets: Crates, Sacks and Timing

The tomatoes were picked yesterday, the buyer at Mile 12 is expecting them, and the truck is still being loaded at the farm gate. A trader moving produce between Ibadan and Lagos is racing something that a furniture mover never has to race: the clock on the goods themselves.

This guide is for traders and farm owners who move produce in bulk. It will not make the road shorter, but it will help the load arrive in a state you can sell.

Choose the container before the vehicle

How you pack decides how the produce survives, so decide this first.

• Crates and baskets suit soft or easily bruised produce such as tomatoes, peppers and leafy vegetables. They let air through and stop the load crushing itself.
• Sacks suit hard produce such as yam, onions, garri, beans and grains. They stack well, but wet sacks rot and heavy stacks squeeze the bottom layer.
• Cartons suit packed or processed goods, and they do not like rain.

Do not mix the soft and the hard in one pile. The yam will crush the pepper.

Load in layers, heavy at the bottom

Think of the truck bed in three layers.

1. Heavy, hard produce on the floor and against the cab: yam, bags of grain, onions.
2. Medium crates above, stacked in straight columns so the weight rests on the crate edges, not the produce.
3. Soft and bruisable produce on top or at the back, not under anything.

Leave small gaps between stacks so air can move. Packed solid, a warm load heats itself, and some produce spoils faster that way. Tie the whole load down so it cannot shift on a bend. Our guide on loading a van or truck efficiently has the loading order in detail.

Cover it, and let it breathe

Rain and direct sun are both enemies. A tarpaulin keeps off rain, but if it is pulled tight over the whole load with no gap, you trap heat. Cover the top and leave the sides loosely open where you can, and follow the driver's advice on how to tie it.

Do not put produce in contact with oil, fuel or cement bags. Taste and smell carry.

Time the trip around the market

The market decides when you arrive, not the other way round. Work backwards from the buyer.

1. Ask the buyer or your market contact when the produce must be on the ground.
2. Allow for the road and the loading, and then add a margin.
3. Tell the driver the deadline, and the offload point, when you describe the job.

Do not plan on the road being clear. Delays happen, and a driver who knows the deadline can plan breaks sensibly. Read our post on the Lagos to Ibadan same-day truck trip for the timing side, and on the other direction, the Ibadan to Lagos household move.

The offload at the market

Markets are busy and loading zones are tight. Agree before you travel where the truck will stop, who will receive the goods and how long you expect the offload to take. Have your people ready, because a truck waiting with perishable goods on it is an expensive truck.

Count crates and sacks as they come off and note any damage on the spot.

What to say in the request

Describe the load plainly: kind of produce, number of crates or sacks, estimated weight, where it starts and where it must arrive, and the time it must be there. Say whether the goods are perishable. That helps drivers decide whether to accept or send a counter-offer.

How to do this on Sphere

On Sphere, request a truck or a pickup van for the trip, enter the farm or market pickup and the drop-off, describe the load and propose a price. Nearby verified drivers accept or send counter-offers, and you choose the one that suits. Agree loading and offloading help before you accept. For the wider picture, see Ibadan market restock guide and our Ibadan page and Lagos truck hire.