Small-scale farmers from across Mzansi have until Friday, 14 October to enter this year’s MyAHi Awards. The lucky winner will walk away with the coveted title as Small-scale Farmer of the Year.
The MyAHi Awards are presented by AHi Western Cape, a leading business chamber with an increasing national footprint. This year, it has decided to also recognise the economic contribution of business owners, small-scale farmers and the role of emerging business chambers nationwide.
Besides the Small-scale Farmer of the Year award, the organisation will also presented prizes for Business Chamber of the Year, Emerging Business Chamber of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Start-Up Business of the Year, and Hospitality Business of the Year.
Dr Willie Cilliers, the AHi Western Cape’s executive director, says the prize-giving function will be on Thursday, 3 November 2022.
Rewarding hard work and innovation
“The AHi announcement follows Statistics South Africa’s recent dismal figures that the unemployment rate now stands at 34.5% after it was 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021,” says Cilliers. “The MyAHi Awards serve as a reward for entrepreneurs who provide job creation opportunities and chambers of commerce who think out of the box to assist their members.”
Cilliers says during the Covid-19 pandemic, the AHi saw how business owners and small-scale farmers went out of their way to tackle everyday challenges with innovative ideas. “This year we want to reward outstanding entrepreneurs who have performed despite all the challenges. The winners will benefit from numerous media exposure and receive prizes.”
The 2021 MyAHi Small-Scale Farmer of the Year was Byron Booysen, a tunnel farmer from Kraaifontein, outside Cape Town. Booysen, who also appeared on kykNET’s popular Boer soek ’n vrou programme, was described by Western Cape agriculture minister Dr Ivan Meyer as one of the sector’s greatest assets.
Click here to enter the MyAHi Small-scale Farmer of the Year competition category.
ALSO READ: Book now to attend farmers’ summit in W. Cape
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
