Pilot Yane says he was able to take his venture from his backyard, through a partnership, to own his piece of land where he drilled a borehole to be able to pump water at 6 cubic litres per hour.
The farm is located at Dikgonnye Village that lies 25 kilometres off of the A1 Road after Rasesa in Kgatleng. The farmer says his farm focuses on controlled horticulture production through use of greenhouse tunnels and shade nets.
In order to see his dream come true, he approached the National Development Bank (NDB) to help him develop his land that he acquired three years ago.
He went to NDB with a business prepared by Green House Technologies where he once trained. Although he was told to go back to fix a few things, Yane’s application was approved in July 2020. He effected more developments on the farm in August 2020 and started ploughing green peppers and tomatoes in October.
With NDB funding, he was also able to harness solar power for his borehole, drip irrigation and open field irrigation. He says he has survived and actually remains relevant through his summer cropping plan that allows him to plough tomatoes in winter in a greenhouse tunnel so that they are not harmed by harsh weather.
Yane says the point with horticulture is to choose what you want to focus on and do it right, especially understanding the market and building good relations.
He was able to do this by planting different types of vegetables for relish (merogo) to cater for the people in the village where his farm is located. He says this has contributed to his popularity with the people of Dikgonnye who frequent his farm to buy different kinds of relish. Yane says that his plan is to supply more chain stores and hawkers in future .
