Hip-hop star Drake might as well have rapped about Dibesho Serage, a Limpopo fruit farmer, when he released his hit “Started from the bottom”. Though the last decade was challenging, Serage received top honours at this year’s Deciduous Fruit Industry Transformation Awards.
Serage says the Limpopo leadership award bestowed on him is testimony to the hard work he put in to build the Groundstone Group. The company, of which he is the managing director, grows 25 000 stone fruit trees, made up of yellow cling and dessert peaches as well as low chill nectarines.
“We started from the very bottom in 2012 with bush clearing of the farm and planting our first batch in 2013,” Serage tells Food For Mzansi. “Many jobs were created since inception to date. I am honored to receive the leadership award. I am earnestly grateful for the recognition I have received for my work in the fruit production space.”
Serage, who hails from Zebediela, the villages south-east of Polokwane, holds degrees in operations management and industrial engineering from the Nelson Mandela University and Vaal University of Technology, respectively. Before venturing into farming, he held a number of top jobs at different corporates.
The value of true mentorship
Through his farming operation on 50 hectares of tribal land, he is able to employ more than 40 people. Earlier this year, he was also elected as the Limpopo director of the Deciduous Fruit Development Chamber (DFDC).
Serage credits the support of his mentor, Michael Oosthuizen, a stone fruit expert who held his hand throughout his journey in farming. He says, “Without fail, [he] shared his skills and expertise with me and my team.”
Winning this award would not have been possible without the inspiration he received from seniors in the industry, adds Serage.
“This includes but is not limited to the DFDC board members, who are also deciduous fruits producers. I have the deepest respect for these people. From them, I have derived so much strength and courage to challenge myself and perform better at each stage.”
Serage describes transformation in the deciduous fruit sector as “a work in progress” which needs all hands on deck to ensure that it is fully realised.
Support towards black farmers is crucial to ensure development and growth in the sector does not remain just talk.
“Most black professionals have the skills and appetite to go into [deciduous fruit] production. However, the bottleneck remains access to funding with favourable terms because the fruit industry is a long-term investment. This means money is spent for a few years before the farmer can start picking fruits,” he explains.
Today, he supplies first-class produce to leading retailers, and he dreams of one days also exporting to overseas markets. “This will be realised through meaningful networks with solid financial support,” he pledges.
And his message to young people who want to venture into farming? Start with the little you might have, but get to truly know the industry, he says.
“This will allow them to learn more about crop selection, climate condition, soils [etc.] I found the best approach to be planning test trees while one is seeking financial support. At the time when the support is secured, the selection of cultivar would have been covered by the test trees.”
ALSO READ: Deciduous fruit industry can change face of rural SA
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