The Farmer’s Daughter: Bulawayo Woman making strides in poultry business.
A Bulawayo young entrepreneur is running a successful small scale poultry business which has transformed her life, keeping broiler chickens and piggery.
Pretty Sibanda (30), has been into poultry farming for two years having been inspired by her parents who are also farmers, who raised her around agriculture her entire life. It helped her develop an insatiable love for farming and animals.
Pull Factor into Farming
“Growing up my mother would say plant the vegetable seedlings, your hand is good and my father being a farmer who love the soil and livestock would encourage me the same. I was fascinated by the process of growing and harvesting crops and playing with cows in the Kraal. It became my place of happiness, and this inspired me to start my own project,” she says.
At her farm which is located in Shangani, outside of Bulawayo, the young entrepreneur, keeps broiler chicken 2000 – 5000 per batch depending on returns and she has been able to supply butcheries, restaurants and small cooking outlets.
With hard work, determination and dedication, she managed to start naming her project and brand “The Farmers Daughter” as a reference to her father, who is also a farmer. “Me and my father we call each other the farmer, and people refer to my dad as the master farmer. So that makes me the farmer’s daughter,” she said.
Setbacks
Besides pursuing her farming projects, Pretty works for an insurance company in Bulawayo, where she uses her salary to finance her projects which is sometimes not sustainable as she has tried to apply for loan from banks without any success due to impossible requirements.
“The journey has been rocky and very frustrating especially financially wise, and also considering that I am a girl. But I can safely say, this year has been very progressive, and I am anticipating that next year going forth there will be more and more growth,” she said.
Furthermore, she said because of the economic melt-down, at times she is not able to make enough money, but enough to finance and grow the projects, which at times is straining because she also has to attend to bills.
Outside Support.
She said despite the hurdles she faces; she still has support from family and friends and farming is her passion and she is still learning a lot and would want to diversify and have different ranges of chicken broilers.
“I am a girl with a very supportive team from family and friends, honestly the way they push me to do more, some even come up with ideas which are now in the pipeline,”
Market Competition
Lastly, any business is competitive, but it’s how one market their product speaks volumes. Their relationship with customers sells a product. There is nothing like the product is too flooded in the market, poultry farming is so broad and has kept some people on survival mode considering the economy. She said she is working on going economic on a large scale and dreams of having her own retail supply one day.
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