November 2014
14
GRAIN SA
Healso told the farmers topayattention to theirmarketingas it is the
big factor that is costing farmersmoney.
Mr Israel Motlhabane (farmer and executive member of Grain SA)
also explained his road to producing more than 1 500 tons while
representatives of the award sponsors, Mr Ernst Janovsky (head:
Absa AgriBusiness), Mr Mphilo Dlamini (corporate affairsmanager:
Syngenta) and Mrs Magda du Toit (corporate communication
manager:Monsanto) gavemessages of support to the farmers.
The categorywinnerswere as follows:
Subsistence Farmer of the Year (farmers who produce on 10 ha
of property or less): Mr Enoch Khumalo. Khumalo was a farm
worker for about 30 years, mainly working with sheep and
cattle. He now farms in the Piet Retief area inMpumalanga and
hasmanaged to plant 3 ha of maize and is expecting to harvest
more than 6 tons/ha.
Smallholder Farmer of the Year (from 10 ha to producing
250 tons): Mrs Lungelwa Kama. The Department of Rural
Development and Land Reform made available a farm in the
EasternCape toKama and alsoprovided a few implements. The
farm that she was given, only has 35 ha of arable land, but the
Kamas havemanaged to hire an additional 70 ha of good arable
land. This year, Kama has planted 100 ha of maize and in some
areas the expected yields exceed 8 tons/ha.
New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year (producing more
than 250 tons): Mr Ralph Swart. Swart was the first and only
finalist from the Western Cape, producing wheat (220 ha at
3,2 tons/ha), barley (100 ha at 3,5 tons/ha), oats (40 ha at
2,2 tons/ha), triticale and rooibos tea. Ralph’s livestock factor
compromises of 1 500 ewes and 140Bonsmara cows.
Club category graduations for farmers producing more than
250 tons, 500 tons, 1 000 tons and 1 500 tons respectively, were
alsoheldand farmerswhohavemovedon to thenext categoryeach
received a certificate and abadge.
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5: The finalists in theNewEraCommercial Farmer of theYear-categorywere: Pieter Chabalala,
Michael Ramoholi, JobMetswamere andRalphSwart (accompaniedbyhiswife, Preline).
6: LangaSimonMbele, LungelwaKama,WillemModukanele (here accompaniedbyhiswife,
Maletzoku), andDwaalkraal Co-operative (here representedbyAllmanMpomela and
Michael Phamola)were the finalists in theSmallholder Farmer of theYear-category.
7: TheSubsistence Farmer of theYear-finalistswereThokoMathaMofokeng, Gladys Zondo
andEnochKhumalo.
8: AnnahMutloaneproducesmostly sunflowers anddressed accordingly to receiveher certifi-
cate for joining the 1 000Ton club.
Farmer development gets a roundof applause
