A few years ago, in the rolling hills of rural Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, 24-year-old Mthobisi Bhengu’s late grandfather left him and his brothers a herd of cattle, with a solemn request that these cattle be used to pay lobola for their future wives.
However, young Bhengu was barely a teenager when his grandfather passed. He had no immediate plans for marriage. So, he decided to honour his grandfather’s legacy differently.
“When he passed, his last words to us were to use the cows to pay lobola for our wives and start families but I was very young then. So, I sold my portion and used the profit to pay for my business,” he says.
Today, he is the proud owner of Ngcolosi Production Poultry Farm, producing 7 000 eggs per month with the potential to grow even further.
Starting from scratch
Before venturing into poultry, Bhengu sought another way of making money.
After this business failed, Bhengu had to start over from scratch. With his pocket money, he saved up R3 000 to begin his journey as a layer chicken farmer. He bought cages and built a shed for his chickens, starting with just a few.
“When I came across a statistic that showed me that black farmers are the minority in poultry farming, I was very inspired to enter that seemingly impossible field. I wanted to see if I could not do better than my white counterparts.”
A few months later, when the money from his inheritance came through, Mthobisi was able to expand his business. He used the funds to grow his chicken farm from just a few chickens to 350.
“At home, we had different kinds of animals like cows, goats, sheep, and chickens, so taking care of them was not that difficult, but I still had to educate myself,” he shares.
As a self-taught farmer, YouTube and social media also played a big part in his success. “It was the internet and the advice of other farmers that helped me get to where I am today.”
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Fight against bird flu
His main markets involve the local tuck shops, street vendors, local community members who order directly from him, and local supermarkets.
“I think farming has kept me off the streets and that is good,” he says.
“On a daily, I always find myself with my chickens, tending to them feeding them, and moving around my day around them. Their sound has become a part of me now.”
In 2023, Bhengu faced his biggest challenge as a poultry farmer when the bird flu (avian influenza) outbreak struck. He recalls the difficult time when he had to isolate his chickens to prevent the spread of the virus.
The outbreak resulted in the death and culling of over 50% of his chickens, causing him a huge loss in profit. For months, he couldn’t sell any eggs, and his business came to a standstill.
“That was a very difficult time because I realised that the bad news I saw on the news was happening to me!”
However, amidst the turmoil, Mthobisi found comfort in the fact that about 150 of his chickens survived. Determined to keep his business afloat, he invested all his efforts into caring for them until the wave of the virus passed.
“If none of my chickens survived, I would be in big trouble,” he admits.
Aside from that, Bhengu explains he is still challenged without a Jojo tank to store water, transport, and cleaning facilities for visitors coming into the farm, encouraging biodiversity in his farm.
Ambitious plans for the future
Despite the setback, Bhengu’s resilience and determination saw him through the tough times. With hard work and dedication, he managed to rebuild his poultry farm and emerge even stronger than before.
While one shed can house 350 layer chickens, his dream is to broaden the scope and build more chicken houses to accommodate more layer chickens. “That is why access to funding will take me far as a start-up farmer.”
“I know that this journey I have started is not an easy one, but I still think it’s the best one and it takes a lot of my time, so that is a sacrifice that I have made.”
He sees himself and his team at Ngcolosi Production Poultry Farm expanding beyond the boundaries of Nkandla to other neighbouring towns like Vryheid, even further south of the province like Pietermaritzburg and Durban, slowly growing into a recognisable poultry enterprise.
“I might be new and raw, but I think I have what it takes to become one of the best layer chicken producers in our province and I think if any other young person feels the same, they should not hold themselves back and just do it.”
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