 Good evening. Welcome to the Private Property Farming podcast. My name is Mbali Mwaka. And thank you so much for joining us on this Tuesday evening. It's Woman's Month. And we just celebrated the woman's holiday yesterday. And I hope to all the ladies watching us right now this evening, I hope you had a fantastic holiday and that you were spoiled rotten. With our guest today, fortunately, we have a woman, a young woman at that, a young entrepreneur who's just started a farming journey in 2021. You know, they always say that young people need to go into farming. And I think she's just testament of just one of those individuals taking the risk and deciding to grow their own produce and sell to markets to just start their own business. And in line with our topic today, it's all about how to start a profitable crop business at the age of 21. So our guest this evening was speaking to Sinomta Saga from Sinomtawe Lange Farming. And she's based all the way in the Eastern Cape. And so she will just tell us her journey of when she started, which is pretty much earlier this year, and how she's been able to generate revenue since her business started. I think it's a story that can inspire young individuals, especially those under the age of 25, those who've just graduated seeking opportunities, but on finding opportunities and pretty much creating opportunities for themselves, you know. So if you have any questions for our guests this evening, please let us know. We are happy to answer live. And if you missed this podcast, be free to go onto our YouTube channel and catch all the videos that we have aired throughout this season. We close to episode 80. So thank you for the support that you've provided the Farming podcast on private property. So let's get right into it and speak to our guest. Sinomta, how are you doing? And thank you so much for joining the podcast. Hello, how are you doing? I'm good. Thank you. Sorry. I'm doing good. Thank you. It's so lovely to see your bubbly face. You very, you seem like you've got a lot of energy, a lot of spirit and passionate about what you do. But you're 21. How did you get into farming and why? How did I get into farming? I've always done research about farming, which was about two years ago, so 2019. But I think I've been very nervous and very scared to go into the industry because I have never done agriculture in high school or even varsity. So all I've been doing is just researching and watching young farmers, especially females and socials. And then last year, which was locked down, I was in Cape Town for lockdown. So I was like, okay, when I get home, I should actually consider doing this. And really, when I got to the Eastern Cape last year, of which he had drought, so I couldn't really work. And then I started with this early January this year. So yeah, so I've been inspired a lot by my farmers and with my research, I was quite happy. Okay, this is maybe something that I could actually try and try to get a mentor as well, because I have no knowledge about farming. Yes. Right. So what made you decide to do crop farming as opposed to maybe livestock or poultry or fruits? Crop farming is very, I wouldn't say cheap to start, but it's quite reasonable to start as opposed to livestock. And with me, I had access to land. Initially, I wanted to use the land that my grandfather left as which was a family land, but with it, I needed to first fence it. And of which at the time, I didn't have the means to. So I just decided to start in my garden because it's vacant and no one's doing anything there. So I started there. And then that's why I'm currently doing crop with the hope obviously to venture into other avenues and avenues to do so. Right. You know, I get a lot of questions from Esper and farmers wanting to go into farming. And I like what you've just mentioned about doing the research. What type of research did you do? And where did you go to seek information? So what sort of channels did you use as a reference guide to seek information? Because research is very, very crucial or critical when starting any new business. Yeah. I obviously use the internet. And so and article, I think articles helped me a lot because I saw a few people on articles and read Farmers Weekly. But mostly I used YouTube because I needed the skill to do it. And then luckily for me, my aunt was home and she's very, she's a teacher, but she's very much into agriculture. So she like grows her own food all the time. So she was there to guide me and how to things and all of that. Because I was so confused how to plant seedlings as opposed to planting seeds, for example, the entire, the entire January. So it was quite easy for me because she was there. She assisted and she gave me everything that I needed to know. And in April, I went for in May, beginning May. So I went for a short training course in a farm in Frankfurt. So that's where I only went after I had so much knowledge, but I just wanted to enhance it. Right. Right. So what did you learn within that training course? What the guy who owns the farm really taught me was he actually said to me that I'm a very modern person to be mostly in primary agriculture. So he motivated me to look into agri-processing as well, into the industry. I've always known about the processing industry, but I never actually got to think of it as agriculture. I know it's all about food, but I've never really, you know, so now we're told that and then he made us do projects with which were your processed beetroots, processed garlic and mix veg, everything. I was like, well, actually, this is something that one can go into. And it's quite more profitable than your primary agriculture, but I think I'd like to be involved. And so now I'm still in primary. So I'm embracing being in primary. So I think that's what I learned mostly there. Yes. All right. And so you started farming this year. You did your research and watched YouTube channels. You increased your knowledge capacity by going for an additional training course. What happened from then? I mean, you had the land, like you said, the backyard, you had your aunt to assist you, a family member to assist you, to just get the basics right. Now, for a lot of people, maybe who are watching this video or episode this evening would be then asking, you know, what type of capital did you start with? You know, just mentioned, you weren't sure how to plant seeds or seedlings. So how much capital did you start off with? And what crops did you choose to start your operation with? I think when I started with my operation, I'm not really sure with how much I started because I think at the time for me, it was more than just making the money and how much money that I actually put in. But I wanted to acquire the skill number one, number two, I wanted to perfect it. So it was I'm not really sure with how much I started, but I can tell you, it was less than a thousand rent. Right. So you're less than a thousand rent and that was what, to procure seeds? No, I bought seedlings and because I didn't know where to buy seedlings, I bought from the hawkers in town. And when I actually found out about learned seedlings in East London, that's where they actually buy them. So buying them from hawkers was actually much more expensive than I would buy in bulk orders. So after that, I realized that and then I went to East London and then I actually bought the seedlings there with my other options, broccoli and cauliflower. But I started with spinach. It was my first crop. So you started with spinach and it's soon expanded to broccoli and cauliflower, correct? Yes. And peppers and lettuce, your leaf lettuce and your iceberg lettuce, yeah. Because I wanted to see which one I would really like to go into and how long in crop because research always tells us maybe takes 30, 90 days to grow cabbage. But when you actually sample your soil, you know how much time it takes and you're able to know that I'm going to make so much money after so long. So I just bought so many crops at the same time. Yeah. Before we get into the revenue part of things, Sinomta, how did you manage things like your soil composition? Was this virgin land, was there nothing planted in that soil before? And water, like do you have a borehole in your family home, in the backyard or garden? And how did you irrigate your plants having started with a mere 1000 rand for your seedlings? With me, it was very easy, like I said, because I didn't do any soil composition. I wasn't using any fertilizers. I think naturally the soil was just so good because it produced quite a lot of crops. And with water, I was determined on my family tanks, the tanks that we use in the yard. And luckily by then it was raining so much. So some days I didn't even need to water. So my granny got pipe because I was watering using C5 liter bottle. I used to put holes underneath and it was quite draining for me. So like 60 meter hose pipe and then I started using that. Right. And how did you manage challenges like birds eating your leaves or if there's, you know, any moles or, you know, outdoor rats that could maybe eat your seeds or leaves, how do you manage those challenges where pests and diseases are concerned? With birds, I did have quite a bit of struggle with birds, especially with spinach when they still seedlings because when they don't really, if they're spinach with birds, I do struggle. I've been saying I'll do a scapegoat, but I never actually, I never actually did it. And with fertilizers, I didn't use any. And with spraying the plants, I was using malasol. Just repeat that. What's that called? Malasol. Malasol. Okay. Yeah. All right. And the malasol what treats what diseases or like finding or inferences? It's like your pest type of thing. Yes. Great. So if I get this correctly, you started this year with a mere thousand rand. Did you research why the internet didn't a little agri-training course? You got a family member to assist you just with the basics because she had a passion for growing her own food, et cetera. You've had land that was available within your family space and you capitalized on that. You didn't do any due diligence in terms of the problem, the composition, you know, if there's any soil-borne diseases, you just went with your gut instinct and just as an entretioner took a risk and started planting. And then also you planted a diverse group of different crops just to see which one would work. Right. Now, getting into the money, now you've planted. So just to understand the journey of it, now you've planted the crops are almost ready to harvest. What are the further steps now did you go and take to seek additional markets? Who were the first set of customers or clients that you approached? And how has that journey been like accessing and finding a market for your purchase? I was selling to hawkers. My first harvest of spinach, I was selling to hawkers. It was very difficult. I wouldn't even like because I'm not really, I don't like selling. I think I like being behind closed doors. I don't like selling. So it was very difficult to, you know, to want people to buy and get their hoping that actually I won't go home with any of the spinach. But my mom and aunt were with me on the day. So they made it quite easy for me because we're very supportive and they know people around here. So people bought and yes. And then with my second harvest, it was, Oh, I went home with a few punches. I was very hurt, but I was quite grateful for the amount of punches that I, that was solved. And then my next harvest, I just woke up one day and decided to just go to spa and approach them. I, I literally had no choice because I didn't want the same thing happening because, you know, with spinach, when you leave in the morning, then you come back late. You can't use it anymore. Like you can use it, but you can't send it to anyone anymore. And then at spa, I got it for, they said they will, they will, I should bring a sample the following day because I approached the CEO and obviously presented him with my work because I always take pictures so you can see. And then they told me to bring a sample, which I did. And then they were happy. They were happy with my product. And then they told me to, to, to, to bring the bunch of the following day. I did. So how did it go? So from both clients, you know, the, the informal traders as well as this retailer, how did you then negotiate price? I was selling the spinach for 10 rent to hawkers. And then to spa, I was selling it for eight rent. So now the problem that I had was that if I sold to hawkers, obviously I would make more money than I would from spa. But with spa, what was nice is that it's guaranteed that my sprint is going to run out. And the focus, the other day I came back with bunches, I was like, I was in the middle of a crisis basically because I didn't know which option was better to take. And I think I saw it. But, but for now, I think I like convenience for now. I know what to do next or figure out a solid plan as to how I will actually sell. Yes. Right. So even when you started to seek market from both these different clients, what was the conversation like with the informal traders? And what was the conversation like with the retailer? And what I mean by that is, did you go there having your samples on hand? So that especially the informal traders so that they could see the quality in real life? And what was the discussion like then? How did you have to sell your product? Was it just showing them the product and they say, ooh, we like, maybe can you bring tomorrow? Or were they saying that, oh, we already have suppliers, etc. So maybe just take us through those actual conversations because I think it's quite important to give people context of what type of conversations they could expect to be having with potential clients. What selling on the street, I was there physically, the one was selling for me. So that's literally all to say. And what spa I approached the CEO, as I said, so I told him about my business. I'm young and I recently started and I have no market told him that I was selling on the streets. So he I do have a profile of myself. So I emailed him the profile. And I think he was quite happy with my profile. Yes. And then they told me, as I said, the following day to bring the sample. And then I brought because I had little bunches of spinach. And then I had the ones with the large leaves, the larger needs for two bunches so that I come with my supply, they know, they know, you know, so yeah. And then I did exactly that. And then they were happy, they were happy with both. So how many bunches? Yeah, so how many bunches on average were you selling a week? You know, to the both different markets. And how soon did you then start to sell the broccoli and the cauliflower or the additional crops that you had planted? And how was that journey bringing a different bringing a different crop or product offering to your customers? I was selling very few bunches, I think to spa I took about 30. And they required 60 of me, but I couldn't meet the demand. And I think that I think they just gave me a chance because they could have just declined. You know, so I gave them 30 and you can count each times 30, that's not a lot of money at all. So but as time went, I think about how many supplies did I take? Can't remember now, but as time went by, then realized that if I want to make money, then I need to increase what I'm producing because I thought trying 100 seedlings of spinach is a lot. And then soon after that, I planted the broccoli and the cauliflower and I was I didn't sell much of it. I bought 50 of each. I didn't sell much of it. I think I was just giving it away to family members because I said, I just wanted to see can I do this? Like how, you know, yeah, yeah, but sorry. So just to understand Sinemta, that prior to you starting Sinemta, we're like a farming. You had no income before. You were not working. I've never been in my life. And I've been a student probably two or three times. I'm a dropout. And yeah. Right. And I think what I like these years I'll be. Yeah, I think what I like about the story is that you've just taken an initiative and an opportunity or a chance to just generate some income. And I'm saying this on the backdrop of you just saying, you know, I sold expunches and expires, it's not a lot of money. But you know, quite frankly speaking, there are many, many young unemployed graduates at sitting at home who are not thinking or seeing opportunities that you have seen, you know. And so I think my follow up question is that having learned from your experience, planting spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, or an assortment of first produce, selling directly on the street to individuals and also selling to a retailer because you have pretty much jumped that many people can't even reach. Many people as well who have been farming for many years, you know, ahead of you would say we haven't been able to supply, you know, whether it's franchise owned or corporate owned retailer, you know, actually of people approaching me like how do you do it? So I literally only tell people I think it depends on the store you're approaching. And it will also depend on you as a person, how do you sell yourself? I think I was very good at selling myself one, and to my work, I didn't really need to prove it. And yes, and for me, it was difficult because I'm working alone. I have two part-time employees of which they only come when they're here to plot and my uncle helps me from time to time. But when it's harvest time, I'm alone, like alone. And it's difficult. It's a very difficult and draining to harvest, especially with spinach because you need to harvest it, we need to bunch it as well. Yeah, yeah. So what I think what I like about your approach is obviously using the space in the land that you currently have, not putting too many operational costs, so expenses on a monthly basis that will obviously eat away into your profits. And you just say, you just said that, you know, you believe that you sold yourself well, whereas earlier on in our conversation, you did say that you don't like selling. So obviously, I could see a trend there that there's obviously something that you're doing right. And so what can be some takeaways or learnings that you can share with us this evening to say, when you started in 2021 in January, told date it's August now, you've planted a different set of crops, you've sold to different markets, you know, you've gone through the selling journey of having to speak to customers on the ground, retail on the ground. And now you've seen where your business is going, you've generated revenue that you didn't even know that you had the capability to do so. So what are some of the learnings that you have picked up from January till date? I think I'll summarize everything and say it's consistency. Yeah. Sorry, sorry. Am I on now? Yes, you're on. Definitely consistency. You have to be consistent if you want it to make it work. And you will get the results that you put in. The results that you put in actually will determine the work that you put in. So if you put in 10% of the work, you obviously get 10% results or even less. Yeah. And it's something that I need to improve with myself as well. Because I think I lack a bit of consistency, but I try to push myself because I know where I want to see myself maybe in December. I haven't been working now since June because we out of water, I have drought and do not have a borehole. So I'm unfortunately. Yeah. So I'm saying consistency. Are you talking about consistency in crop, being able to supply consistently to your customers or consistency in production? I mean, like you started in the previous month, now you stop this drought. So just elaborate on the consistency so that the audience this evening could understand a lot better. In production and I would say to selling to retailers as well, because you obviously I haven't been to spend now in a few months because I don't have any supply. And I don't think it is to see you as an inconsistent supplier because it's out there. And obviously you are trying to make something out of yourself. So I'd say in everything that you do and the work that you do. So we're approaching the summer season, a lot of rains coming through crossing fingers, especially for many farmers out there. You mentioned that, you know, you've had a bit of drought in June and I can imagine it's cold during the period of June, July and August. So what's the plan for the summer season planting? Have you touched based with your retail customer to say, you know, I'm a bit of out of action for now, but rest assured in the next month or so, September, October, I've got produce waiting. So yeah, basically what is the plan for the summer season on your end? My plan for the summer season, I don't know if I'll actually execute it, but my plan is to do herbs and garlic. Yes. And why specifically those crops? Is it something that your client said, we would like to procure this? Maybe we've got too much of spinach, too much of broccoli, but we don't have a lot of supply for herbs. Why specifically herbs and garlic? One, it's not a lot of supply. And two, with the amount of space that I'm currently using, I think I need to actually go into doing high crops because I've got very little land, as opposed to maybe someone who has two hectares who can plant thousands of cabbages. I cannot do that because I'm very limited. Obviously, we'll make money. I think now that I'm realizing that it's more than just being a farmer, but now I'm trying to better my entrepreneurship skills more than farming. I think I need to better the entrepreneur side of it because at the end of the day, as much as we do what we love, we need to make money out of it. Yeah. And I think some word of advice from one farmer to another a young individual like yourself is maybe start tracking all your expenses. Because you said you're not sure of how much you started. You gave us a ballpark figure of a thousand rand and also tracking yourselves. I think that's very crucial so that you can understand where you're going and how far you've come. And that's how you really get to determine if you're making a profit or not. And I think the strategy of approach for you to go for a very high value crop that doesn't take a lot of space but obviously can bring a lot of revenue per kilogram, etc. I think is a good start. So I'm glad that you still want to pursue farming. And I'm glad that you've walked the journey that you've walked and also had some business interruptions in the interim because this is literally how farming is. You have to work with where climate change is something that is very real to many farmers, especially even in 2021. So because you are 21, a very, very young agripreneur in this space, a new agripreneur, what advice would you give to individuals like yourself? And Bali, who's 21, who's probably just finishing his or her third or final year at school, but is seeking for some income and maybe has some land back at home. So what advice would you give to a fellow 21 year old, especially who might be thinking of pursuing farming as a source of income or as a career? Yes, what wisdom can you share based on the journey that you have traveled so far? I would say to everyone who's thinking of being an entrepreneur generally, I think if you have all those ideas, I think God planted those ideas in your heart for a reason. And the only thing that you need to do is execute those plans that you have and then you start where you are. Because I think with me, I realize that with the position that I'm in, I cannot expect to, when I see value on Instagram, using pivots to water, they crop, I'm not there yet. So I think you are literally with what you have and you make the most of it. And then you will literally grow from where you are. Wow. Thank you so much for your time, Sunam Chah, this evening. It was a pleasure chatting to you. I could see that you are definitely a ball of energy and you've enjoyed the journey that you've traveled in the past couple of months. And congratulations to you for being very outgoing and being in front of clients' faces to sell your produce and obviously being in operation and creating two jobs out of that, even if it's part-time, because those individuals might not have had an income on those days where they worked at your farm. So congratulations. I wish you all the support and best of luck in your journey ahead in the farming space and don't give up. And we hope from the private property team to see you grow from not earning the garden, maybe you could come back onto the show and say, you know, the farming podcast, I've got five hectares of land now and I'm producing three hectares. So we'd love to see that journey and the growth. And yeah, best of luck with Sunam Tarinanga farming. Thank you so much, Balini. Thank you so much. I really appreciated all the best to you too. Thank you. Wow. We just spoke to Sunam Tarinanga who is the founder of Sunam Tarinanga farming. She's based all the way in the Eastern Cape. Guys, she's 21, doesn't come from farming, started her farming journey or her farming business producing food in a backyard in 2021. So that is no excuse for you at home thinking of starting to farm but just don't know where to start. So use the land and resources available to you and for those that are saying they don't have market. I think Sunam Tarinanga's story is a testament that, you know, there's always, always demand for fresh produce, go to your local retailer, present and showcase the crop that you're growing, speak to individuals who pass the informal traders onto the street and see if you can supply them. And also just do some research. The internet has an abundance of research in terms of how to get started, how to farm, use YouTube as a source, use a private property farming podcast as a source to get the information because we've interviewed a lot of agripreneurs, a lot of farmers, a lot of people in the industry that shared some valuable gems and tips on how to get your farming enterprise going. Thank you so much for watching us this evening. It was a pleasure to have you supporting the podcast and getting to hear Sunam Tarinanga's story. I will catch you on Thursday, same time at eight o'clock. That's it for me tonight. Goodbye.