Commercial farmer: Tjijandjeua Kavetuna

Tjijandjeua Kavetuna’s passion for farming started when he was 16 years old.

Since then, he has worked tirelessly to become a commercial farmer. He farms in the areas of Okahandja, Outjo, Okamatapati and Okandjatu. Kavetuna mainly does livestock and crop farming, meaning he mainly deals with cattle, sheep and goats as well as horse breeding.

As for crop farming, he mainly plants vegetables on his farm in Okamatapati.

He said he supplies Meatco, Agra and Blouberg, while for small stock, he also supplies local households for enjoyment "like a lekker Namibian braai".

Kavetuna is very passionate about farming and being in nature as well as creating an income for himself.

The commercial farmer said there are some soft skills every farmer needs in order to make a success in their field of agriculture, such as having good communication skills. "You need to be able to communicate clearly with staff to ensure operations run smoothly," he explained.

You should also have proficient problem-solving skills, he said. "You should be able to react fast to any situation," he noted before emphasising that financial management skills are crucial as a commercial farmer "because you only get paid on a good harvesting day, so you need to be smart about how you spend your money".

He added that good customer service and networking are vital in ensuring that you make the most profitable turnovers, and help your business expand.

According to the 25-year-old farmer, one of the challenges he faces in the market is when the older generation of farmers do not easily accept the newer ways of farming.