16 May 2016

Many Batswana prefer purchasing fruits from outside the country in order to re-sell them locally to individuals and other businesses.

Realizing this need, Mr Thompson Majoo then decided to produce fruits locally and sell them to meet the market demand.

His farm in Dibongwana near Tonota goes a long way back from 1985 when he got interested in farming as his parents were both farmers.

Speaking to BOPA in an interview, he said he has always had passion for griculture whilst growing as a young boy.

After completing Tirelo Sechaba, he worked for three years and in 1986, he decided to pay his passion a visit and started farming.

Luck struck when his father decided to help him make his passion a dream come true by buying him fruit trees to plant at Impala.

“We bought 375 orange trees which cost P3 each for our farm and now the trees have increased and there are more than what we started with. Not only do I plough oranges but also vegetables.” he noted.

Some of his clients are Manyanda Butchery, orphans under the sub-council, local shops in Tonota as well as small scale retailers.

His farming has also created employment for Batswana as he has employed eight people in his farm and he is happy because not only does the farm benefit him as a means of self-reliance, but it has also been beneficial to other Batswana, especially in Tonota.

Sometimes he sells the oranges at a space near Take no Time filling station in order to be closer to the customers as it is difficult to reach his farm when one does not have a car.

His word of advice to people who would like to start a business like his is that fruits are needed on a daily basis and one can never go wrong with producing them.

He further said business takes time and people should get into it whole heartedly, adding that they should form associations as farmers to speak with one voice.

Mr Majoo said he is really pained that money leaving the country to buy fruits from outside and his wish is that the money could circulate among the local people and this can only happen if they produce their own. ENDS