A Young vegetable farmer Takalani Malindi from Tshitereke Village, Thulamela in Limpopo started his vegetable farm due to a high demand for fresh vegetables in his area. Malindi is the owner of Taki’s Green Land.
He initially started planting vegetables to sell to the community and the farm produced Tomatoes, Chillies, Sweet Potatoes, Maize Meal, Beetroot, Cabbage, Butternut and Carrots and in so doing closed the gap in the market.
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“I was born and bred in the village. I wanted to work close to home and also give something back to my community,” said Malindi.
“It was not easy starting, but all the hard work is finally paying off, and not only for me. I want to expand so that we employ even more people. Job opportunities are very scarce and farming is one of the biggest employers locally,” he added.
Although there is a sign of money-making income through the business, Malindi aims to even make more.
“With the support of my family and my growing passion, I carried on planting vegetables, year in and year out, and selling my produce to hawkers at informal markets. Being a farmer came with many challenges such as a rise in the feed price, which resulted in the farm increasing the price to the customers. The farm’s biggest client remains the villagers, as well as retail shops,” he said.
WORKING AGAINST ALL ODDS TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO HIGH DEMAND FOR VEGETABLES
“This is not the easiest sector to participate in but all my hard work and determination are worth the rewards. Although the farm’s priority is vegetables, we make sure that during the harvesting time, we supply the villagers and retailers. As youths, we are supporting the government’s economic transformation agenda through agriculture.
“Agriculture is key to the economy and benefits every sector for the benefit of the nation. So the government has empowered us and it is up to many of us to take up the challenge in any way they feel will boost food security and economic development,” he said.
He further said agriculture is a profitable business and as such, he is calling for other youths to be involved in whatever capacity they can as they develop the country through agriculture.
