Asiphe Pentu started his small-scale broiler business with only R2 000 when he was just 17 years old and still at school. After five years, he has a well-run, 100-chicken operation that turns a profit and has a loyal clientele in the local community. Siyanda Sishuba reports.
Asiphe Pentu runs a poultry farming operation from his home in Beshwana village in Mount Ayliff near Kokstad, in the Eastern Cape.
One of six siblings, Pentu started his business, Khawulela Poultry Farming, in 2014, when he was just 17 and still in Grade 9, due to poverty faced by his family.
His father lives and works in Johannesburg while the rest of the family remains in Mount Ayliff. Most families in the area make a living out of crop farming, but Pentu thought poultry would be a more viable option, as it required less money to get started and he would see returns more quickly. He also knew that chicken was a popular meat product in the community.
AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT FROM THE START
To raise the money he needed to launch his operation, he started selling sweets, peanuts and other snacks at one of the busiest intersections in Mount Ayliff and at sporting events. As soon as he had managed to save up R2 000, he bought 50 day-old broiler chicks from a supplier from Matatiele.
In the meantime, he continued attending school at Jojo Senior Secondary, but unfortunately dropped out in Grade 11 in 2018 as he had struggled with mathematics, business studies and accounting.
Despite this setback, he continued to run his broiler chicken operation. And the more he learned about rearing chickens, the more he developed a passion for the business, which has a capacity to rear about 100 chickens at a time.
“When I started the poultry business, my friends used to tease me that I was doing a woman’s job, because poultry farming is commonly done by women in my community,” he recalls.
VACCINATIONS
Pentu’s journey to succeed has not been plain sailing. In the beginning, he didn’t use any medication on the birds and, as a result, some of his stock died.
Denne historien er fra June 14, 2019-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra June 14, 2019-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
