22 May 2016

Mr Ernest Motlogelwa (33) of Gootau in Tswapong says there is no turning back once someone ventures into farming.

The youthful farmer said, “for as long as I can remember I have always worked on the farm/ cattle post and everything I knew about farming was what I learnt from my parents”.

 Mr Motlogelwa said this in an interview at NAMPO agricultural show in Bothaville, South Africa, on May 20.

He said he gained considerable experience from observing and by seeking advice from other farmers.

After completing his accounting course at intermediate level, Mr Motlogelwa stayed for six months looking for a job, but after realising that to get a job was not an easy thing, he went back to his village with one thing in mind:  start a farming business.

Mr Motlogelwa said in 2012, he answered the call of becoming one of the best farmers in the country, the dream which he said was still following and when years pass by he sees him amongst the best farmers.

“ I was inspired by a quote that is saw in one of the agricultural books though I cannot remember the author and the name of the book which goes like, ” “Some people dream of success while others wake up and work at it” he said .

Mr Motlogelwa said the youth of this country should not dream of success but they should wake up and work at it as their future and that of the country is purely on their control and they could only achieve that by setting themselves standards that they want to operate under.

He said opportunities in life accrue to those who are ready to take them and it is upon the youth of this country to grab each and every opportunity that presents itself to them and forge ahead without any turning back.

“Farming needs passion and dedication in order for one to prosper and it is not an easy thing to do nor difficult to venture into if one is dedicated, “he said.

The youthful farmer said he is taking care of about 200 heads of goats which are a cross breed of tswana and boer goats and is working hard to come up with studs breeds in the likes of boer goats and savanna.

He said though he is concentrating on small stock farming he is also doing crop production and this time around he only managed to cultivate five hacters on the 20 hacters field and said he intends going up to 200 hacters.

Responding to a question why he do mixed farming, Mr Motlogelwa said farming on its own is a risk business one has to have something that he could fall on if the other side is not doing well and the other thing is to produce enough fodder for his goats during drought seasons.

He said the NAMPO show had provided him with a platform to get new perspective on the latest farming products and equipment and he also managed to get very ideas from various exhibitors on proper handling of small stock as it is his back bone in this industry.

Regarding new machinery that he saw on display and what his comment is towards the prices of such machinery, Mr Motlogelwa started his answer by saying “GOO” the machines are expensive as the one that he saw a green heavy duty tractor of John Deer make was going for R 6.3 million.

Mr Motlogelwa applauded the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) chief executive officer, Mr Edison Woto and his board to have taken a bolt decision to take Batswana farmers of different ages to the NAMPO show which according to him is the biggest he had ever attended.

He said what BAMB has done needs to be nurtured by those who were chosen to attend the show by making show that they produce enough food for this country using the new farming methods they have learnt at the show. ENDS