Karabo Molefhe describes his involvement in agriculture as passion-driven.
Having been raised by two generations of farmers, his path was long carved. His parents were fulltime farmers. And so were his grandparents, who took over the responsibility for his (and siblings’) upbringing after his parents’ death when he was aged 12.
He describes himself as a product of two lifestyles ÔÇô the city (he was raised and schooled in Gaborone), as well as the countryside (regular visits to work in the farm were mandatory, and he enjoyed it).
“I always noticed how both my parents, and grandparents managed to provide for us entirely through farming,” he says. “I guess it was only natural for me to follow in their footsteps. That is how it has been since I was 20 years old. I have never done anything else. I have never earned a salary from anybody. The only thing I know is to pay myself.”
When he started out eight years back, he ploughed a 40ha field, mainly growing grains and pulses. Six months back, he moved from Ngwaketse South to Tuli Block after leasing a bigger patch of land.
“For these eight years, I was depending on rain, but Botswana rains are not reliable. That’s why I have decided to move to Tuli Block,” he explains. “Tuli Block is adjacent to Limpopo River, which is a perennial river. My plan is to draw water from the river to irrigate my crops.”
Having ploughed 200ha of maize, this is five times what he has been working on. This is in addition to 10ha of cabbage.
“Now that I have access to good water supply, my plan is to farm all year round. When I harvest these two crops, I will be planting others such as potatoes, and onions. I intend to farm without taking any breaks, unlike in dry land where you plant in October, harvest in May, and then you are done. You have to wait for the next rains.”
Molefhe states that agriculture does pay well if done right, though it also has its own ups and downs.
“If I’m still doing it after these eight years, then it does (offer good returns),” he laughs. “The major shortcoming is that in Botswana agriculture is a slow maturing business because of the climate and population, which translates into a small market. This limits your growth potential as a business.”
At the same time one has to contend with the high cost associated with commercial farming, mostly due to the need to invest in advanced machinery. The need for even further mechanization results from the reluctance of Batswana to work in farms, which leads to a shortage of labour.
“We used to depend on foreign labour, especially from Zimbabwe, but these days there is shortage of labour. So you need specialised machinery that will be able to substitute 10 or even 100 people,” says Molefhe.
To give an indication of the costs involved, he puts the cost of an irrigation system for 50ha in the region of P200 000. His own investment in the Tuli farm ranges between P5million and P6million.
It’s a hefty investment, but he is confident of the returns.
Though farming is a challenging occupation, he finds it a less competitive business that allows one to grow without a lot of hassles associated with other enterprises.
“In farming, you are your main competitor; you have to improve on your previous effort. It’s unlike the hospitality business, for instance, where you have to beat the other hotel to stay ahead,” he says.
Having started out very early, he finds that to this day, in every transaction he is the younger one.
“My employees, except for the farm manager who is my age-mate, are older than me. The financiers are older than me. At the market, I have to deal with people older than me. When I started, at each meeting I was viewed as an inexperienced young man, who probably didn’t know what he was doing,” he states.
He points out that there is a tendency to draw certain, mostly uncomplimentary, conclusions about all young people, without considering that though they might be the same age, they are different individuals.
“The general rule is that all young people can’t be trusted because they don’t keep their promises,” he says. “But as you grow and build your profile, how you are viewed gradually improves.”
He is satisfied that the business is now growing. Earlier this year, he was part of the Botswana National Youth Council trade mission that went to look for business opportunities in Zambia. He returned with a deal that could change his life forever. He has been offered 5 000ha of virgin land in an area that receives good rains. He has also secured a contract to supply a major meat company in Zambia with 100 000 chickens a week.
“Zambia is going to be a big project for us,” he says. “Imagine ploughing the whole 5 000ha, and then supplying 100 000 chicken a week.”
He still doesn’t believe how easy it was to get land in Zambia.
“It was so easy to get 5 000ha. All we needed to do was to convince the chief that we were serious, and all he asked for is that he wants to see development in his area. That’s how easy it was. The chief said, ‘if you develop this land within two years and I see that you are growing, I will give you another 5 000ha’. You can’t get land so easily in Botswana. In Botswana I only qualify for 16ha,” he says.
Aged just 28, Molefhe argues that Botswana has to make agriculture attractive for young people. He says there is a big gap between the current crop of big commercial farmers, many of whom are aged 60 and above, and the younger farmers.
“Many from that generation of elder commercial farmers are about to retire, and when you look at the number of young farmers, there are only a few. What this means is that until my generation is groomed to be at the level of the big commercial farmers, there is going to be a shortage of food. We should attract more young people to go into farming, whether at a large scale or small scale. Then we should have consultants and mentors to guide them to graduate to commercial farming. If we don’t do that Botswana is going to continue to be a net importer of food,” he warns. Twitter: @MeshMoeti
