Hunadi Mabulani is a smallholder farmer in Elandskraal, near Marble Hall in Limpopo’s Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, where she manages a mixed farming operation that includes cotton, cash crops such as spinach and beetroot, as well as cattle and goats.
By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming
“The past few weeks have been particularly busy on the farm as we move from one production cycle to the next” says Hunadi.
“We recently completed the harvest of our cotton crop on 20 hectares and delivered the harvest to the market last week. Harvesting cotton is always a rewarding moment because it reflects months of planning, planting and crop management. Seeing the product leave the farm and enter the market is one of the highlights of the farming season.
Also read: Hunadi Mabulane’s mixed farming and cotton success
“With the cotton harvest behind us, our attention has shifted to vegetable production. We are currently transplanting mustard spinach on a five-hectare field while also transplanting Fordhook Giant Swiss chard spinach on an additional two hectares.
“These crops are important not only for fresh produce sales but also for the value-added products we manufacture on the farm.
“One of the areas we continue to expand is our processing operation. At our processing site, we produce mokhuša, a traditional Southern African food product made from leafy vegetables. We use both mustard spinach and Swiss chard in the production process, allowing us to add value to crops grown on the farm while offering consumers convenient and nutritious products.
“We are also busy processing beetroot tea. Value addition remains an important part of our farming strategy because it enables us to diversify our income streams and create products that can reach markets beyond fresh produce buyers. As farmers, we constantly look for ways to maximise the value of what we produce, and processing provides an opportunity to do exactly that.”
Also read: Cotton: More plantings needed
