Ms. Sally Pillar, a farmer based in Bokaa recently sat down for an interview with Farmers Magazine Botswana to talk about her experiences as a farmer who now chose to venture into the production of vegetables. Her farm consists of goats, pigs and a variety of herbs that she is producing. But as it stands she noticed that there is a gap in the market when it comes to vegetable production, and as a result this pushed her towards the idea of starting a project of vegetable production, her main focus being tomatoes, red and greed cabbages, onions and eggplants. “These were the main products that I had noticed were in shortage”. She confirmed.
Ms. Pillar explained that even though this is an interesting field to explore there were a few challenges that she came across. She explained that the major challenge that she faced was with the amount of money she spends on fertilizers and pesticides, she said that it is most expensive to buy fertilizers and pesticides since they are mostly bought outside the country.
Furthermore, she explained that the market is saturated with people who want to be vegetable farmers but never produce the right product at the right amount and also that at times they produce a lot and only end up selling below the expected quantity. She explained that this poses a challenge since some of the products will be left to rot.
When it comes to some of the opportunities that came about due to being a vegetable farmer, Ms. Pillar stated that this has been a great experience for her since she got to grow her skills as a farmer, “I have been very fortunate because I started all this during the time when there was a pandemic and as such I have managed to acquire more knowledge and skills that have helped me become the kind of farmer I am today”, She explained. She has been able to know and understand what is needed when it comes to being a vegetable farmer.
Another opportunity she said was with the customers and clientele, she explained that due to the understanding of the market and knowing what customers really need she is able to cater for their needs at the required or appropriate quantities, thus making her an enlightened farmer.
In closing she said that for her future plans she is working on hosting seminars on farming to help assist those who might have the interest to venture into any field of production, she stated that she has space where she could be able to accommodate prospective farmers who might have the interest in farming. She also advised young farmers not to deter from the idea of venturing into agricultural production, explaining that this is the new and best way to go looking at how the world is at the moment.
