Nkululeko Nene

on developing the 43 x 10m family plot above the umkhazi river in Twini.

They grow green pepper and green beans with the help of his sisters Smangele, Ntush, Landiwe, Siyanda and Sfundo.

“With the scarcity of internships, I chose to use the knowledge I acquired in varsity to help in the agribusiness we are currently running while looking for a job in my profession.

“Farming is part of environmental management. It is an advanced one because it helps to alleviate poverty and create job opportunities while ensuring that the environment is protected.

“This course also helped me understand essential components of agriculture and what we should refrain from doing while ploughing.

“I also learnt that using excessive chemicals depletes essential nutrients which crops need to grow,” said Dlamini.

Dlamini said each plant produced between eight and 10 peppers and came in different colours, from green to red and then yellow depending on maturity.

They are often referred to as a robot, he said.

Dlamini said it took up to three months for the crop of peppers to be ready for harvesting.

“We work really hard on this farm harvesting fresh produce for the market. But the challenge is to strike a deal with big retailers.

“If they have a supplier, your stock gets rejected, if not they negotiate a deal which favours them. It is either a ‘take it or leave it’ kind of a deal,” Dlamini said.

He lamented the fact that there was not enough funding available.

“I would like to become an agricultural analyst with a vast land to grow crops. But that cannot happen without funding. We need to demystify this notion that the youth are lazy and don’t want to get involved in agriculture as a career. The youth need empowerment and support,” said Dlamini.

His mother said for their produce to find its way into the market they relied on an agency which negotiated prices on their behalf but charged them exorbitant prices for storage and packaging.

“We hire transport to deliver to their storeroom before the agents send our supply to Clairwood market. We get charged almost 40%. During each harvest season we pay between R1 200 and R1 600 a load of vegetables,” she said.

Phiri also complained that their crops were destroyed by insects and suffered blight – a plant disease.

“Green pepper is the most difficult vegetable crop to maintain. It needs extra care, without enough water leaves