Question

Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows:

For generations, temperate vegetable farmers on Nigeria's high-altitude Jos Plateau struggled with catastrophic post-harvest spoilage, as delicate produce like tomatoes and strawberries deteriorated rapidly during long transit to distant urban markets. To mitigate these losses, local agricultural cooperatives recently established decentralized, solar-powered cold-storage hubs adjacent to rural farm clusters. This technological intervention transformed traditional supply chain dynamics. By preserving crop freshness for weeks rather than days, the storage units eliminated the desperate urgency that previously forced farmers to sell their harvests immediately at whatever price buyers offered. Consequently, smallholders gained the leverage to withhold produce during peak harvest gluts and release it strategically as regional market supply ebbed. While this shift smoothed seasonal price volatility across major cities, urban wholesale merchants—who had historically capitalized on distress selling to secure exceptionally high profit margins—encountered a noticeable contraction in their earnings.

Based on the passage, what can be inferred about the economic relationship between smallholder farmers and urban wholesale merchants prior to the introduction of cold-storage hubs?