• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle
The Sernick Farmers’ Day also saw 140 participating farmers receiving their national certificates in animal production during a special ceremony.

Black farmers to get a stake in the Sernick Group

3rd Feb 2020
What to look for when formulating dairy cow rations

What to look for when formulating dairy cow rations

1st Jul 2022
Leave your comfort zone and make money, says foodie

Leave your comfort zone and start hustling, says foodie

1st Jul 2022
Recipe: Make Makile’s crispy chicken wings

Recipe: Make Makile’s crispy chicken wings

1st Jul 2022
Experts have warned farmers to prepare for another steep fuel price increase this month. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Caught in a price spiral: Farmers brace for major losses

1st Jul 2022
Parts of the Western Cape, such as the Central Karoo, are still experiencing drought. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Drought-burdened farmers receive R48m. in fodder

1st Jul 2022
Through his company, Iboyana agri farming, Mhlengi Ngcobo is changing the lives of youth and women in his community. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Self-taught farmer doing his bit for the greater good

30th Jun 2022
Research has revealed that less than three in 10 farmers in the upper parts of Africa use technology. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Technology not a priority for Africa’s smallholder farmers

30th Jun 2022
The Mamahlola Communal Property Association was among the first to be established in 2000, but due to underinvestment, their land soon turned into a symbol of government’s land restoration failure. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

The poverty-fighting tool that’s not fighting poverty

30th Jun 2022
Langeberg & Ashton Foods provides employment for around 250 permanent and 4 300 seasonal staff. Photo: Supplied

ICYMI: Search for fruit factory buyer continues

30th Jun 2022
Michele Carelse, founder, and CEO of Feelgood Health, Aquaponics horticulturalist, PJ Phiri Gwengo, Dr Didi Claassen, Afrivets executive for technical and marketing support, and Sibusiso Xaba, co-founder and CEO of Africa Cannabis Advisory Group. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Podcast: Learn the basics of growing microgreens

29th Jun 2022
John Deere Launches Africa’s Largest Capacity Combine. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Get inside Africa’s largest combine harvester

30th Jun 2022
Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 30% of what we throw away, and could be composted instead. Babalwa Mpayipheli uses the technique of bokashi composting. Photo: Supplird/Health For Mzansi

How to make compost with kitchen scraps

29th Jun 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Sat, Jul 2, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Through his company, Iboyana agri farming, Mhlengi Ngcobo is changing the lives of youth and women in his community. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Self-taught farmer doing his bit for the greater good

    Reggie Kambule from Villiers in the Free State runs a 185 hectare farm where he breeds livestock and cultivates maize. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Engineer-turned farmer takes pride in good results

    Agripreneur 101: Sweet success for jam producer

    Agripreneur 101: Sweet success for jam producer

    Real Housewife turns passion for wine into a business

    Real Housewife turns passion for wine into a business

    David Mthombeni is building an agriculture empire for his family.Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farmer gets his hands dirty while building family empire

    Gauteng farmers give youth a leg-up in agriculture

    Women in farming give youth a leg up in agriculture

    Watch out, these young farmers are on fire!

    Watch out, these young farmers are on fire!

    Unati Speirs has vast experience in agri-business strategy and business funding and was recently appointed as a new board director for Hortgro. Photos: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Youngest Hortgro hotshot takes transformation to heart

    Prof Kennedy Mnisi a dedicated young man who wants to help livestock farmers with animal health education to prevent diseases. Picture. Supplied/ Food For Mzansi.

    Animal scientist works hard to earn top dog status

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

Black farmers to get a stake in the Sernick Group

by Noluthando Ngcakani
3rd Feb 2020
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
The Sernick Farmers’ Day also saw 140 participating farmers receiving their national certificates in animal production during a special ceremony.

The Sernick Farmers’ Day also saw 140 participating farmers receiving their national certificates in animal production during a special ceremony.

Black cattle farmers will be getting stakes in three different companies owned by leading South African farmer Nick Serfontein, the chairperson of the Sernick Group, one of the country’s foremost agri-businesses.

Serfontein, who served on Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa’s land reform and agriculture panel, made this announcement at the annual Sernick Farmers’ Day earlier today. More than 400 up-and-coming farmers and dignitaries, including Free State MEC of agriculture and land reform, William Bulwane, attended the event on the Liebenbergstroom farm in Edenville.

Top performing participants in the Sernick Emerging Farmers programme will be invited to become members of the Black Emerging Farmers’ Trust, which will hold 50% shares in Temong (Pty) Ltd. Temong owns 26% in Sernick Abattoir (Pty) Ltd, 51% in Sernick Wholesaling (Pty) Ltd and 26% in Vierfontein farm and feedlot, which was recently acquired by the Sernick Group.

ADVERTISEMENT
Nick Serfontein, chairperson of the Sernick Group.

Deputy Director of AgriSA Christo van der Rheede welcomed the announcement by Sernick. Speaking to Food For Mzansi he said, “I am really impressed with the work being done by Serfontein in the space of black farmer development (in South Africa). He is a role model for many other commercial farmers.”

Van der Rheede adds that this model – of giving ownership to deserving new farmers who have a proven performance record – could be used as an example for others commercial farmers.

The Sernick Emerging Farmers programme is presented in partnership with the Jobs Fund. The programme is divided into three categories. Altogether 660 farmers are admitted into the programme, starting out in tier 1. All the participants are given SETA accredited training and an opportunity to exchange their old stock with good quality cattle that fetch higher prices at the market.

Free State MEC of agriculture and land reform, William Bulwane.

A total of 300 farmers are then chosen from the 660 to form tier 2. Here they are equipped with technical skills to enable them to develop their own herds, while maintaining a healthy cash flow to meet their working capital requirements. Thereafter 50 farmers are chosen to graduate from tier 2 to tier 3. They are taught new skills to help them grow into practical commercial entities with their own reproductive capacity.

According to Patrick Sekwatlakwatla, a representative of the Sernick Emerging Farmers programme, 22 farmers from tier 3 have already been identified to now become members of the Black Emerging Farmers’ Trust.

Van der Rheede says although Sernick is not the only agricultural powerhouse doing great work in developing black farmers, “Serfontein has a unique model. That is a model that we should replicate all over South Africa, wherever possible, because it is not only about it for black empowerment points, but also about developing people. At the end of the day, they (emerging farmers) can become independent and commercial in their own right.”

Pictured: Mavis Motlokwa (winner of the Sernick female farmer of the year award) with some of the other Sernick Emerging Farmer Programme graduates.
Mavis Motlokwa (winner of the Sernick Female Farmer of the Year award) with some of the other Sernick and Jobs Fund graduates.

Bulwane delivered the opening address, highlighting black farmers’ struggle to access funding and the importance of encouraging more women and youth to enter the agricultural sector. He further encouraged farmers to make inputs on the issue on land reform in the country. This follows parliament’s extension of the deadline for public comment on the proposed Constitutional amendment bill to expropriate land without compensation. Public comment is invited until 29 February 2020.

The Sernick Farmers’ Day also saw 140 participating farmers receiving their national certificates in animal production during a special ceremony. Mavis Motlokwa was announced as the Female Farmer of the Year for 2019 and Bodulo Mabote is the Farmer of the Year.

ADVERTISEMENT
Tags: EdenvilleLiebenbergstroom farmNick SerfonteinPatrick SekwatlakwatlaPres. Cyril RamaphosaSernick Emerging Farmers ProgrammeWilliam Bulwane
Previous Post

Forestry farmer makes his first million by 27

Next Post

Farmer lives out his 27-year-old dream

Noluthando Ngcakani

Noluthando Ngcakani

With roots in the Northern Cape, this Kimberley Diamond has had a passion for telling human interest stories since she could speak her first words. A foodie by heart, she began her journalistic career as an intern at the SABC where she discovered her love for telling agricultural, community and nature related stories. Not a stranger to a challenge Ngcakani will go above and beyond to tell your truth.

Related Posts

Webinar: Accelerated Women Executives Training

Level 3: Booze restrictions ‘anti-poor’, say liquor brands

by Noluthando Ngcakani
17th Jun 2021
0

While they are relieved to have dodged another blanket clampdown on booze sales, the alcohol industry has levelled various points...

Meet some of the farmers who have pledged to assist their workers who wish to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. From the left are Nick Serfontein from Edenville, Alfreda Mars from Moorreesburg and Ratlale Masiu from Bloemfontein. Photos: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmers vow to help workers with vaccine registration

by Duncan Masiwa
18th May 2021
0

Farmers have vowed to assist farmworkers in registering for phase two of Mzansi’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. This, as government has...

Crop and livestock theft

10 farmers’ tips on tackling crop and livestock theft

by Duncan Masiwa
15th Mar 2021
0

How do farmers safeguard their animals from the threat of crop and livestock theft, which is ever-present in Mzansi? Farmers...

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo: Twitter/GCIS

SONA: Sorry, Uncle Cyril, but it’s a no from agriculture

by Duncan Masiwa
12th Feb 2021
0

While most opposition parties have slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa's fifth State of the Nation address, the agricultural sector was left...

Next Post
Farmer lives out his 27-year-old dream

Farmer lives out his 27-year-old dream

Experts have warned farmers to prepare for another steep fuel price increase this month. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
News

Caught in a price spiral: Farmers brace for major losses

by Tiisetso Manoko
1st Jul 2022
0

Farmers are bracing themselves for yet another steep fuel price increase in July, with data showing that consumers could face...

Read more
Parts of the Western Cape, such as the Central Karoo, are still experiencing drought. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Drought-burdened farmers receive R48m. in fodder

1st Jul 2022
Through his company, Iboyana agri farming, Mhlengi Ngcobo is changing the lives of youth and women in his community. Photo:Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Self-taught farmer doing his bit for the greater good

30th Jun 2022
Research has revealed that less than three in 10 farmers in the upper parts of Africa use technology. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Technology not a priority for Africa’s smallholder farmers

30th Jun 2022
The Mamahlola Communal Property Association was among the first to be established in 2000, but due to underinvestment, their land soon turned into a symbol of government’s land restoration failure. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

The poverty-fighting tool that’s not fighting poverty

30th Jun 2022

Agripreneur 101: Sweet success for jam producer

Engineer-turned farmer takes pride in good results

Leave your comfort zone and start hustling, says foodie

Safety summit: Will it be a turning point?

Caught in a price spiral: Farmers brace for major losses

Self-taught farmer doing his bit for the greater good

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 11 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

What to look for when formulating dairy cow rations

Leave your comfort zone and start hustling, says foodie

Recipe: Make Makile’s crispy chicken wings

Caught in a price spiral: Farmers brace for major losses

Drought-burdened farmers receive R48m. in fodder

Self-taught farmer doing his bit for the greater good

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
WhatsApp line: +27 81 889 9032
Marketing: +27 71 147 0388
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version