Agriculture

High rent fees, stock theft, water scarcity, crowded communal areas and expensive land are among the factors holding back female farmers from prospering in their farming.

The lack of action taken to have agricultural import bans imposed by Botswana – and more recently Namibia – lifted is creating a feeling among South African fresh produce farmers that the government has failed them.

As previously stated, getting personal transactions entangled with that of the business transaction is something most farmers and agripreneurs do – and it may come easy; however, this poses risk to the business, leading to lost opportunities for business growth. 

The recent livestock movement restrictions and subsequent ban on exports of cattle to South Africa should serve as a wake-up call to farmers. The situation has surely amplified the need for a more diversified approach to farming, as opposed to sorely focusing on one product.

A significant number of livestock mortalities in many farming areas can be attributed to plant poisoning, as many farmers report symptoms that relate to poisoning. 

Where crop production is practised and/or grown, there is a likelihood of disease outbreaks that can cause serious damage to all crops resulting in severe financial losses. 

Following on from last week’s column, allow me to further deliberate on why it is crucial to separate the personal account from the business account. 

While many of our livestock farmers produce good quality genetics that could easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with well-established farming brands out there, such farmers do not do much to expose such products to the world or at least the rest of Namibia.

For you to manage your farming business effectively, you should do thorough, timely record keeping and analysis of the financial reports monthly. 

Tomatoes, scientifically known as Lycopersicon esculentum, are grown during spring and summer (September to the end of April) for their fleshy fruits that are rich in taste and Vitamin C.