The value of learning about farming from a young age is inestimable, but unfortunately the policies of the past separated many potential farmers from the generational knowledge that should have been their birthright. Seitshiro Marumoloe was raised by his grandparents, who were small-scale farmers, and exposed to agriculture from his early childhood. He talks to Peter Mashala about his journey back to farming.

Seitshiro Marumoloe was raised by his astute and entrepreneurial grandparents who laid a solid foundation for him to become the successful businessman and farmer he is today. His grandfather and mentor Hendrik Segatle farmed maize and sunflowers on communal land at Springbokpan village, close to Mahikeng in the North West province. His grandmother Seatile ran the village’s only grocery store.

Today Seitshiro is a commercial farmer and the proud producer of white maize, small white canning beans and sunflowers, which he grows on his farm near Sannieshof and on communal land in Springbokpan. “I used my grandfather’s old tractor, which I still have, when I started farming,” he smiles.

BEANS SAVE THE DAY

He grows yellow maize (hybrid PAN 5R-582R), small white canning beans (PAN 123) and sunflowers (PAN 7100) in rotation on 400ha. This season he has planted 300ha to beans, and the remaining 100ha to maize. The beans are a relatively new venture that he started planting commercially in the 2018-2019 season. He says bean production saved his business at a time when things were really tough after three years of drought.

“My close friend Vuyani Lolwane, who has since passed away, introduced me to Kallie Schoeman of Schoeman Boerdery in Delmas, Mpumalanga. Kallie was Vuyani’s buyer at the time and he became my buyer,” Seitshiro explains.

He says producing beans is lucrative, provided one has the right equipment, the expertise and, most importantly, the market. He sells his beans on contract to Schoeman Boerdery, where they are cleaned, sorted and graded before they go to Tiger Brands for canning. Schoeman Boerdery processes the lower grade beans for animal feed.

BUSINESS FIRST

Despite a childhood spent with a farming grandfather, Seitshiro says it wasn’t until much later, when he was working for NWK, that he was drawn back to farming. “I knew I wanted to be in business, but farming wasn’t at the top of my list.”

His is a family of resourceful and enterprising business-people. Apart from his grandparents, his mom, Tshegofatso, and his dad, Moremogolo, also ran small businesses. “My mom bought a range of items, from blankets to kitchenware, in Johannesburg and sold them in Lichtenburg.” Seitshiro started his first business with his dad after finishing a course in business studies at Taletso TVET College in Lichtenburg in 2002.

“After writing matric at Alabama High School in Klerksdorp, I asked my parents to give me the money they would have spent on my university fees to start my own business,” he explains. “My mother agreed to give me the money they had saved for my fees on condition that I get a qualification as a backup in case the business failed.”

After completing a business diploma, Seitshiro started Fantabulous Tours in 2002. He bought two minibuses for his touring business, and ran trips to church gatherings, funerals and social trips, including crossborder trips to Botswana and Lesotho. In 2010 the business went through challenging times and profits declined to a point where Seitshiro had to look for work.

He found a job as a trainee silo operator and then an operator at the NWK’s Mareetsane branch. He was later promoted to silo manager before he moved to head office in Lichtenburg to work as a credit controller. A year later Seitshiro left NWK to take up a sales position at a car dealership in Lichtenburg.

“I had only been at the dealership for a few months when my former boss at NWK, Freddie Pohl, asked me to come back. NWK was about to launch its emerging grain farmer development programme and Freddie needed someone in his finance department to facilitate loans for black farmers,” he explains.

Seitshiro took the job, which meant he worked closely with other departments like agri-services, insurance and fertiliser. At the time, he had moved back in with his grandparents. At this stage they were old and frail and needed care.

“I was commuting between Springbokpan and Lichtenburg every day. In the morning when I left, I would see my grandfather’s tractors and implements sitting there because he was no longer farming.” The more he interacted with farmers and attended farmers’ days, the more he remembered the time he had helped his grandfather on the farm. “One day I decided to fix the tractors and try farming on a small scale, starting on my grandfather’s 10ha plot.”

SOWING THE FIRST SEEDS

Mpho Mojaki, a close family friend who had worked for Hendrik, managed the farm while Seitshiro was at work. “Abuti Mpho worked the lands during the week and I helped out on weekends,” Seitshiro says. They planted sunflowers (hybrid PAN 7100) and did well with average yields of 1.8t/ha. He used the money he made on the sunflowers to buy a secondhand planter and a sprayer and to fix his grandfather’s second tractor. The next season they rented more land to get the planted area up to 30ha and they contracted planting services to local farmers.

“I started reading up on farming as I got more involved. Then I came across an article about the government leasing farms. I applied and was awarded this farm in 2012.” The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform gave him a 30-year lease for the 213ha (120ha arable) farm Wit Klipdrift near Sannieshof. He arrived on the farm in November, the middle of the planting season, and planted 80ha of sunflowers with the help of a contractor. He also went into a sharecropping arrangement with McCain Foods to plant potatoes on 20ha irrigated by centre pivot.

“McCain paid me part of the money upfront. I used it for renovations, and I bought cattle (10), sheep (20), goats (20) and four pigs.” Sunflowers and potatoes did well that season. By the 2014/2015 planting season, he could no longer maintain a balance between his job at NWK and his farming, so he resigned to focus all his energy on the farm.

FARMING TO SURVIVE HARD TIMES

In 2015, Seitshiro rented an additional 150ha in Uitkyk, not far from his farm, where he planted maize and sunflowers. Then drought struck. “I made losses and I couldn’t repay all my debt.” The next two seasons were no different and he ended up in a situation where he owed his creditors more than R1 million.

“I thought about quitting and going back to look for a job.” But he decided to give it one more try in the 2018-’2019 planting season. This time, with limited options for loans, he planted on a smaller scale. Fortunately, the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development helped by providing him with seed and fertiliser.

Because he had more fertiliser than he needed, he swopped some fertiliser with Vuyani for small white bean seed. He had enough seed for 30ha. Vuyani, who had been producing beans commercially for a while, took Seitshiro under his wing and helped him with marketing. He describes this as a move that saved his business.

“After Vuyani introduced me to uncle Kallie, he gave me a contract after my first delivery. Kallie was impressed by our production.” Seitshiro managed to pay off his debt and invest in new equipment, including a planter. “The contract I have with Schoeman Boerdery includes production finance.”

PLANTING AND PLANNING

Last year Seitshiro planted 80ha to beans and bought more equipment. “I paid cash for a harvester and a de-shelling machine.” He explains that, apart from access to markets, a lack of proper machinery is a stumbling block to aspiring bean producers. Unlike other grains, like maize and sunflowers, beans need specialised, high density planters and harvesters.

“Beans are planted at a greater plant population per hectare than maize or sunflowers. You need a planter that can deal with high planting densities.” He says although one can use a regular planter, farmers need a planter with a good capacity to reach a population of between 160 000 and 180 000 plants per hectare. “For maize, a
population of up to 75 000 plants per hectare is the norm; for sunflowers it is even less at about 35 000 plants per hectare.” Beans are highly susceptible to disease.

“You have to adhere to a strict spraying programme,” says Seitshiro. “Farmers should organise credit with their chemical suppliers so that when it’s time to spray they can get the chemicals even if they don’t have the cash,” he adds. “We start planting in December/January. Land preparation is any time after harvesting. The most important thing is to manage and retain soil moisture.”

He keeps his lands well weeded to stop competition for water. Soil preparations start after the first rains, which are usually in September. “We rip, disc, and make the seedbeds. After planting we manage the weeds and fertilise for about 120 days.”

Beans are harvested in May and maize in July. Seitshiro has a target yield of 1t/ha for beans and at least 5t/ha for maize, which he usually exceeds. “When I first came to this farm, my production plans, on paper, had figures and targets for maize and sunflowers that I’ve never achieved,” he admits. But since he started growing beans, he has realised goals and targets beyond his dreams.

“Next season I would like to expand, lease more land in and around Springbokpan, and if I have the funds, buy another farm.”

Crop farmer Seitshiro Marumaloe has a philosophy of accountability in his farming operation – to his credit. He makes no excuses when challenges arise and has pushed the pause button on frustration with government, the weather, markets and pests. Instead, he just gets on with the job. 

Farmers know their businesses well, as they would have built up their operations over time. “At the end of the day, the farmer puts his or her hand up and is ultimately responsible for everything that happens on the farm,” says Praveen Dwarika of Lemang Agricultural Services, an agribusiness involved in the training and development of new-era farmers. 

Dwarika makes the point that some of the responsibilities on the farm must be delegated. Tasks and duties are shared out of necessity, to stop things from spiralling out of control. “For things to flow, workers have to be empowered to carry out the tasks assigned to them in a responsible and accountable manner.”

He also highlights the importance of every team member’s accountability. “This makes it possible for a farmer to represent his business on the outside with confidence, knowing that everything on his farm is in place.” 

Accountability goes hand in hand with staying positive and having the right attitude – an approach that is critical to a farming business, according to Dwarika. “We know farming is not a one-day game. There is no quick buck to be made in farming,” he says.

Roadblocks like drought and disease are part of life and must be faced. Marumaloe agrees, explaining that there is a balance in farming: tough seasons are followed by seasons of abundance, and knowing this makes it easier to stay buoyant. 

“Farmers are aware that they don’t have the luxury of saying ‘it can wait until tomorrow’,” Dwarika concludes. 

Lioness Weekender learned more about Yvette Tetteh’s ambitions to build an impact driven agribusiness in Ghana that creates new local production jobs and stimulates revenue for up to 100 regional farmers.

What does your company do?

At Pure and Just Co. we facilitate rural-urban business by linking rural farm produce to local and foreign urban retail opportunities. Specifically, we transform fresh fruit into natural, tropical dried fruit products (mango, pineapple, pawpaw, and banana.) Our work creates sustainable jobs for youth, increases farmer incomes, and stimulates economic growth by enhancing an under-developed local value-added agribusiness sector. Our circular climate-smart model increases farmer income by 40% and reduces spoilage and post-harvest losses by 50% on average.

What inspired you to start your company?

We believe in the unique right of every individual to self-determination in a physical environment that is healthy, a political environment that is safe, and a community environment that is nourishing. We want to participate in creating a world where human development is in line with the protection of the environment; and where every person – and, specifically, every African – has the economic means to pursue their dreams. We work to enable people to support themselves, protect themselves against climate change, and to explore their passions and potential. We believe our straightforward, identity-oriented model can be replicated across sub-Saharan Africa to financially empower individuals and communities and positively inform land practices. Our work will be part of creating the financial foundation for individuals to choose how they want to lead their lives. Our work must break down class barriers to personal and community development.

What makes your business, service or product special?

In an environment of fast-paced tech start-ups and extractive industry, our innovation is in collaborative development and sustainable growth that lifts people sustainable out of poverty for the long term. We are not reinventing the wheel, but refining a human and environment oriented social business model that can be replicated across sub-Saharan Africa. This means defining and commiting to a living wage for workers, setting up climate-positive industry in a rural area typically bypassed by development projects and business, and increasing access to technology and information. Setting up an export-oriented facility will provide the mechanism for the first two goals, for the latter we will work with Farmerline to equip farmers with access to information, financing, and logistics via an agri-tech infrastructure catered to their specific needs and context. The key will be transferring data that is readily available in urban centres to farmers in rural agricultural areas.

Tell us a little about your team

We are a Ghanaian, Black-owned business. We are women-led and youth-driven. From 2017 to 2022 we increased our workforce from 3 to 18–14 of whom are women, all of whom under 35. Our team processes and packages fresh fruit into our dried fruit products.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I am a Ghanaian woman who has had the privilege to live in several countries and receive an education. Growing up outside familiar norms of family, culture, and race have made me empathetic to those marginalised by mainstream society and business. I have reflected on the cultural and economic disparities between different regions. The dissonance of my class privilege with my racial and gender identities has given me a personal understanding of these differences and inequities. My agency as an entrepreneur drives my self-determination and defines me as a creative and compassionate person dedicated to improving the local community. I am committed to a dualist mission of mutual development for my communities and myself, not simply because it is morally just, but also because my own sense of self is inextricably entwined within them. The more I work to uplift Ghanaians and Black women the more nurturing the environment for me and people like me to live as autonomous, successful people.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

In 2022, we are scaling our capacity to supply natural food companies globally. The global market size for dried fruit is approximately $7 billion and the European market for tropical dried fruit alone is increasing with an annual growth rate of 5-7%. We are looking for $1m to finance a 1000sqm export-oriented facility capable of generating $1.8m in annual revenue with a production capacity of 240 tonnes of dried fruit a year. This new facility, nestled in an agricultural community in Ghana’s fertile Eastern Region, will create 52 new local production jobs and stimulate revenue for up to 100 regional farmers.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

I’m writing from a small apartment in beautiful, sunny Kreuzberg. I’m here working remotely, meeting potential business clients, and taking in the fresh (cold) European Spring air. It’s been lovely. It’s also been really moving and affirming to look at the business from so far away; the perspective of a vantage point a continent away is somehow more clear. Working remotely has shown me how well our internal systems are working, how capable and independent are young management staff have become (shout out to Eben, Alice, and Henrietta!), and how coordinated we are as a team. Amongst the myriad of everyday challenges of the food / agric / agribusiness space, being able to see the outcome of your efforts in such a tangible well is always a beautiful experience.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Starting and running a business requires an immense amount of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy – try your best to be gentle with yourself, commit to (self) care, and allow yourself time (including for rest.) The journey is long and doesn’t get finished, so find your pace and look after yourself on the way.

To find out more about Yvette’s story and the Pure and Just Food brand at Yvaya Farm in Ghana, send an email to: sales@pureandjustfood.com or visit the company’s website and social media pages:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

New discoveries and advances in technology make agriculture a science on the move. Farmers who stay stuck in obsolete methods do so at their peril and many of them struggle to move forward. The agricultural extension services of the past are largely non-existent, leaving many farmers without advisors to guide their progress.

Input suppliers have put a lot of effort and expertise into plugging information and knowledge gaps in the agricultural sector. Seed supplier Pannar Seed is well known for providing farmers with an excellent advisory service.

Pannar’s Hendrik Mokoto says input suppliers have a responsibility to establish good relationships with their farmers. “Our farmers know that we don’t walk away once we have made a sale. We will give them the best possible aftercare.” 

Seitshiro Marumoloe, a young crop farmer from the North West, is a Pannar customer who places a high value on building partnerships in his farming operation. Marumoloe emphasises the importance of positive engagement with advisory services. “We need technical know-how; for example, you have to know how to spot diseases and then how to deal with them.” 

Farming is an unforgiving business and acting on the right advice can save farmers from poor harvests and even from crop failure. 

Seed suppliers need no better advertisement than abundant harvests, profitable farms and successful farmers. Through the quality of its advisory service, Pannar supports profitability and builds good relationships with farmers. “If you have the right partners in your system, it is only a matter of time before the profits start flowing,” says Marumoloe. 

Pannar has shown strength in building partnerships and establishing trust relationships with farmers, whether they are small-scale growers or corporate commercial operations. As Mokoto says: “After the sale, Pannar starts the journey that takes us from planting to harvest with our farmers.” 

For more information, visit www.pannar.com