Potatoes are a notoriously difficult crop to supply, making transformation within the sector extra-challenging. On the other hand, via collaboration with Potatoes SA and mentorship, Limpopo farmer Walter Mathidi has boosted manufacturing. Lindi Botha studies.
Photograph: Equipped
Walter Mathidi began planting potatoes in Vivo, Limpopo, in 2015. However having a look again, he believes he may just no longer name himself a farmer then regardless of going via the entire motions of the process.
“I began with 3ha however I struggled to develop. Some years I’d get 14t/ha, different years the entire crop would fail. Potatoes would possibly glance simple to develop, however it is extremely difficult, and with out the fitting experience it’s tricky to prevail,” he says.
The turning level got here when he carried out to be part of Potatoes SA’s transformation programme, the place farmers are assigned a mentor and assisted with seed purchases.
Since becoming a member of the programme 3 years in the past, Mathidi has taken his yield past the business reasonable of 50t/ha to 65t/ha. He has larger his land beneath manufacturing to 160ha, which is divided into 4 to permit for a four-year rotation.
“Lately I will name myself a potato farmer. I perceive the crop, learn how to set up the soil, illness force and irrigation, and will correctly set up the promoting of my crop to get the most efficient costs,” he says.
Actual transformation
Mathidi nonetheless has every other two years of studying to look ahead to earlier than he reaches the tip of the five-year programme presented by way of Potatoes SA.
That is then again no longer the case with the entire farmers within the programme, and Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes SA, laments that development within the transformation programme has been gradual.
The programme goals to get a farmer to a business degree inside 5 years.
This implies they will have to be capable of get entry to financing on their very own, at standard charges that don’t seem to be discounted for building causes. Jacobs says that obtaining farmers to a business degree inside 5 years is in lots of circumstances a tall order, since there are such a large amount of elements that resolve good fortune.
“We’re within the 7th yr of the cycle and even if the collection of outright business farmers completed isn’t top as but, we’re seeing outstanding development from the place the farmers began to the place they’re now.
“There are numerous farmers within the scheme which can be doing rather well – they perceive potato farming and feature nice possibilities for long run good fortune. In two years we will display actual development.”
To be had investment additionally inhibits development. Investment for the programme is got via levies paid by way of business farmers to Potatoes SA. Investment for 2 seasons has been secured from the Limpopo Division of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Construction.
Potatoes SA contains 15 to twenty farmers a yr within the programme, allocating 13 farmers in line with mentor.
Within the first yr, the organisation finances 100% of the farmer’s seed requirement. In yr two, it drops to 75%, in yr 3 50%, proceeding till the farmer can purchase or finance their very own seed in yr 5. All the way through this time, farmers are assisted with bookkeeping in order that they can manner business banks for loans in long run.
Marketing strategy
The method begins with farmers making use of to be part of the programme. An inner variety procedure takes position at Potatoes SA, the place useful resource availability is a key center of attention.
A person marketing strategy is then drawn up for each and every of the chosen farmers which takes under consideration the volume of land they’ve to make certain that the four-year box rotation rule may also be adhered to.
Jacobs clarifies that land availability does no longer imply farmers must personal the land. Rented land could also be thought to be, however safe agreements will have to be in position to make certain that land earmarked for the overall four-year rotation will likely be to be had when wanted.
“Improve from the encircling group is a very powerful in instances the place farmers are renting conventional land. We now have skilled many hiccups previously when farmers get started doing neatly, however the group’s belief is that they aren’t reaping rewards.
“Those relationships wish to be in moderation controlled to make sure continuation of using land.” If the marketing strategy signifies a top degree of good fortune, the farmers turn into a part of the programme.
This marketing strategy is then extensively utilized to safe further investment from executive. Jacobs explains that the marketing strategy is a important step within the procedure, since any actual transformation effort is not going to prevail until there’s a sound trade case.
The additional advantage of getting a legitimate marketing strategy is that it turns into more straightforward to get entry to investment put aside for transformation tasks by way of executive and the personal sector. Jacobs due to this fact believes that a success transformation of the potato business lies in having sound undertaking fashions, reasonably than to be had investment from levies.
“Firms like [potato chip makers] Simba and McCain will readily step in and lend a hand farmers on their option to commercialisation if there’s a sturdy trade case. It is a win-win scenario for the reason that firms get farmers which can be neatly on their option to changing into business, and the farmer himself can get pleasure from off-take agreements for his or her produce.”
A part of making the trade case paintings is getting the important yields. Potatoes SA’s knowledge presentations that yields amongst small-scale farmers in Africa reasonable 12t/ha, whilst business farmers in South Africa succeed in 50t/ha on reasonable.
“The street to changing into financially viable is that a lot shorter in case your yields are on par. This is the reason getting the fitting recommendation performs this kind of giant function in good fortune,” says Jacobs.
High quality seed
The intricacies of potato farming come with sourcing the fitting seed, on the proper time. Mathidi says that the strengthen he receives from Potatoes SA on this regard has performed a big function in setting up himself as a farmer.
“Seed is the costliest enter in potato farming, and likewise the side that calls for essentially the most wisdom. Up to now I’d plant no matter seed was once available for purchase, and didn’t pay a lot consideration to the place the seed got here from or what cultivar it was once.
“However now I realise that it’s important to shop for handiest qualified seed. The cultivar will have to even be decided on in moderation as there are those who give higher yields, are extra disease-resistant than others, and those who can handiest be planted at a undeniable time of yr. The truth that I’ve get entry to to high quality seed has made a gigantic affect in expanding my yields.”
Jacobs additionally attributes a lot of the programme’s good fortune to the truth that seed high quality is overseen, from acquire to supply.
“There are such a lot of re-sellers of seed that it is extremely tricky to resolve its starting place and high quality, either one of which can be necessary. Whilst the certification brand is at the packaging, no longer all farmers know the way to interpret it. The planting window of potato seed may also be very particular. In case you omit the window, then your good fortune fee for germination is hugely diminished.”
He notes that there are lots of facets to potato farming that require in-depth wisdom and working out, and this makes it tricky to adopt this type of manufacturing effectively with out the fitting strengthen.
“From Potatoes SA’s aspect, now we have such a lot wisdom inside the business and having a metamorphosis programme that may disseminate this data is essential to permit everybody to learn.”
A fruitful partnership
Jacobs and Mathidi agree that every other key to good fortune in raising rising farmers to a business degree lies in high quality mentors.
Says Jacobs: “We choose mentors that experience a real interest for farming and seeing folks prevail.
“In our business it’s steadily mentioned that if you wish to get the irrigation time table for potatoes proper, you then actually must sleep subsequent to the irrigation pivot. There are mentors that experience in reality controlled to try this with their mentees in order that they are able to take care of their water!”
Mathidi believes that having a mentor has made the entire distinction in expanding his experience as a farmer. His mentor, Alec Jandrell, is at the farm so steadily that it feels extra like being in a partnership than simply having an adviser.
“We now have advanced this kind of nice dating from spending such a lot time strolling during the fields. I wish to stay a ebook with me each and every time he visits to take notes of the entire issues I be told. There’s at all times one thing new.”
Mathidi has received a greater working out of the business as a complete, from soil preparation and manufacturing to advertising and marketing. He was once even ready to keep away from a tuber-moth infestation in his fields this yr regardless of the encircling farmers falling prey to it, due to well timed recommendation from Jandrell.
“Potatoes is an advanced product. In case you don’t have a instructor you’re going to undergo. The crop wishes way more care than many different greens and it’s simple to fail. I believe this is the reason such a lot of first-time potato farmers don’t make it – they underestimate what it takes to supply a crop,” he says.
Mathidi issues out that selections surrounding planting at the moment are thought to be extra in moderation.
“I now not plant potatoes simply for the reason that land is there. I assess the elements and the water availability first, and plan my crop accordingly.
“Local weather alternate and its implications are very a lot felt on this space and it must be taken under consideration. If there is not any water to peer the crop via the entire season, then there is not any level in planting seed,” he provides.
It is usually essential to paintings with good-quality soil. “Land preparation will have to be completed correctly. Doing a part process won’t get you any place. Take a look at the soil, adapt the fertiliser programme accordingly and apply a crop coverage programme.
“Most significantly, farm along with your boots within the soil. You don’t farm potatoes by way of using previous the sphere – you want to stroll in it so as to assess what’s going on and act briefly if there are pest infestations. Those are a very powerful courses I’ve learnt via my mentor.”
Reaching nice costs for his crop is every other space the place Mathidi has succeeded. He sells his potatoes without delay to recent produce markets in Limpopo and Gauteng. With an added working out of marketplace dynamics and advertising and marketing produce successfully, with minimum price, he achieves upper costs for his crop than prior to now.
He emphasises that you will need to make investments the source of revenue again into the trade. “Many farmers make the error of pondering that this cash can be utilized for luxuries or personal bills. If you wish to develop, you want to plough the cash again into the farm.”
Even supposing 2026 will mark the tip of Mathidi’s reputable mentorship, he notes that along with the lend a hand he will get from Jandrell, his neighbour Derek Fick has been simply as keen to peer him prevail.
“I’ve gained such a lot lend a hand from Derek. He has no drawback strolling over to my fields and giving me recommendation. He has been a nice neighbour and he provides to the data I am getting from my mentor. Each and every has their very own degree of experience from which I will get advantages,” he says.
Jacobs provides that but even so the reputable mentors, there are lots of business farmers who act as unofficial mentors, serving to rising farmers round them.
“There truly is a willingness from business farmers to lend a hand a brand new technology of farmers to get into the trade.”
Mathidi’s trust within the price of an expert mentors and involvement in organised agriculture as the important thing to good fortune is unquestionable. “There’s little or no probability of good fortune in potato farming with out being concerned with Potatoes SA. The adventure can be very quick!”
As for his personal contribution to good fortune, Mathidi is apparent concerning the dedication it takes: “There’s no nice good fortune – it’s simply onerous paintings.”