Agripreneur leaves lucrative job to pursue farming dream
After 20 years of working as a mechanical fitter at one of the biggest freight and logistics companies in South Africa, Samuel Moeketsi decided to leave his lucrative job to fulfil his lifelong desire of being a farmer.
Like many boys who grew up in rural areas, Moeketsi was a herder responsible for his grandparents' flock of goats in the village of Losasaneng in the North West — this is where his love for the animals was ignited. As he grew older, he realised that farming goats made good business sense.
'There is a huge market locally and internationally for goat meat. It has become part of our day-to-day protein intake and though beef and mutton are big players in the red meat market, there is also a big demand for goat meat and I saw that as an opportunity to close the gap,' he told Sowetan.
Now, Moeketsi farms commercial Boer goats and Bonsmara cattle on a two-hectare plot in Koppies, Free State.
'I left my job in 2022 and the business only took off in 2024, which proves that the journey was not easy. My wife and I started by farming cabbages and that was a big flop. We then had to come up with a different strategy and started to invest in the land we had bought to make it farmable,' he said.
Though he managed to overcome several challenges when starting, the 45-year-old said he still experiences some challenges in his business.
'Diseases, theft and funding continue to be problems I find myself having to solve. Another big issue for me is finding employees who are good at animal handling,' he said.
The farmer uses technological systems such as CCTV cameras and biosecurity to combat theft. He also implemented compulsory weekly training sessions for his employees and conducts research to learn about animal vaccination.
'I've also chosen not to sell from the farm directly, to avoid having criminals who would come and monitor the place.'
While Moeketsi learnt most of his farming skills from his grandparents, he said Standard Bank's Agri Transformation Programme, which he recently graduated from, equipped him with everything he needs to fast-track his journey as an agripreneur.
'The programme was very handy because it taught me good farming practices, how to manage the business side of things and taught us skills such as how to make a business plan. As a result, I've had a zero mortality rate because of the methods I used from the programme,' he proudly said.
While he has mastered producing animals with good body conditioning and high-quality meat, Moeketsi plans to venture into the agro-processing industry where he will manufacture lactose-free products including ice-cream made from goat milk.
'I'm also looking at exporting to the Emirates, where 90% of their protein is goat meat.'
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