Fourteen thousand Lohman chickens funded through the DARD’s producer support programme
The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (NWDARD) persists with efforts to support producers in a bid to fight poverty and under-development as well as to provoke rural economic development. Baramakama Poultry, a five member project has been in business since 2016 producing eggs, processing, marketing of eggs and culling of the end point of lay chickens. NW DARD identified the potential in the project and brought in a grant injection of fourteen thousand (14 000) Lohman layer chickens to assist the farm with increasing production.
The Managing Director and CEO of Baramakama Poultry, Ofentse Moloko (36) expressed his gratitude towards the government’s commitment in empowering young black farmers. “Thank you to the department of Agriculture and government of South Africa for once again continuing to strive in supporting us a black farmers in terms of commercialising and becoming quite competitive within the industry. We look forward to further support and we know that together we can definitely make a success of this journey that we are all trying to achieve in building black commercial farmers in this poultry industry” he said.
The project situated in Molote City near Rustenburg, has six layer houses that comprise of five houses with a capacity of 10 200 layers each and one house with a capacity of 16 300 layers that are on a 7.5ha land as well as an additional six layer houses with a capacity of 34 500 each. The layer houses have a capacity of 274 300 layer chickens of which six houses are automated, borehole that is equipped, store-room, office block, and security fence, a tractor with a trailer, forklift, ablution facilities and 3-phase electricity.
Baramakama is envisaged to invest further in an agro-processing plant with collection, washing and grading, sorting and automated egg packing system. It currently employs youth and is devoted to the skills and capacity building of its employees who mostly come from surrounding villages and about forty two (42) permanent jobs are expected to be created with an additional of twenty one (21) seasonal labourers.
The project beneficiaries are steadfast in empowering their employees whom some have no formal education by ensuring that they capacitate them with skills that will benefit the project and improve their livelihoods. Naomi Phiri (31) started as a general worker when the project started operations in 2017 and is currently the farm manager. She has, through the assistance of Mr Moloko, received extensive training on poultry production and management and intends to study further.
“I will be enrolling to study veterinary through the financial assistance of Baramakama. This will empower me to be able to further contribute towards the growth of the project and plough back my knowledge to the community of Molote City,” said Naomi.
The project will continue to receive technical support through the department’s extension and advisory services.
Source: Government of South Africa