Ephraim Mbele a small-scale dairy farmer in the Harrismith district, Free State says the adoption of policies that addresses the plight of the less privileged farmers is the only way that the government and country could start realising the economic importance of the small scale farming sector. “As long as we are not getting the required financial, technical and material support, the dream of having a progressive and sustainable emerging sector will remain a pipe one,” he says.

Mbele says milk is the only farm crop that can give farmers an income throughout the year and the only product which can be processed at the farm and sold as finished products to enhance farmers’ earnings. Value addition, he says, would enable farmers to sell their products at very competitive prices and use the residue for other purposes like feeding livestock or manure to give continuity to farming while taking care of the families’ nutritional and economic concerns.

“Dairy farming is the only choice for the future; as several other agricultural models can coexist. It is a viable economic deal to cater to and invest in high-end products, which are inevitably linked to other farming activities. You can get money that will enable you to purchase farm inputs such as fertilisers, vaccines and chemicals,” he says.
Six years ago, before Mbele embarked into dairy farming he was just another local peasant eking out a living in Qwaqwa, Harrismith, today he is a prominent farmer with a steady income.

It all started when Mbele was 14 years when he started working on a farm as a support worker on the animals side.
He worked in different farms for more than 30 years as an animal ‘specialist’. His last stop was at Farm 1903 which was then owned by government. When government decided to allocate the farm to landless people he was identified by agricultural experts has a potential future farmers.

They recommended that he be given the 299 hectare-Portion 23. At this farm he is utilising 55 hectares to produce maize under an AFGRI contract programme. The other 10 ha are used for hay production and the rest as open land pastures.

In 1994 using Short Horn breeds he ventured into milk production, but only for subsistence purposes.
As from last year Mbele and four others were taken into the mentorship arms of Kotie Annandale who works for the Milk Producers Organisation’s Centre for Producer Development (CenDel) mentorship programme.
Before his cows were being milked in the open. His new dairy has increased milk quality and hygiene standards.

He has no milking machines and he uses his hand with the assistance of his two farm workers. He is currently milking 15 cows that give him 135 litres per day. He has 43 cattle. Last year he was also awarded for his hard worker by being voted 2007 Emerging Dairy Farmer of the Year. "I wish I could get the financial support that I need to introduce pure dairy farming with the entire necessary infrastructure that will see me moving into commercial production.
“It is my dream that I introduce milk processing into finished products that can fetch more money on the market than raw milk. Currently I sell a litre for R2,50 depending on the quality," he says.

Mbele and other farmers in the area sell their milk to Nestle. Annandale says there is a lot of potential within the emerging sector as far as dairy production is concerned. “The success of these farmers depends on the assistance that government and us within the private sector gives to these farmers. “There is need to focus mainly on the provision of a market-driven agricultural system that could help improve the livelihoods of farmers.  “Efforts to improve livelihoods should not just be limited to increased production, but should also emphasise market orientation,” he says.

According to Annandale this will underline the need to introduce a value chain approach; a market and technological support link between the producer and end-user. Through this mentorship programme the farmers have been trained in improved milk production and in the collection, processing and marketing of their product. "Experience shows that small farmers can improve their earnings from dairy products by up to 50% when they are directly involved in processing and marketing their own surplus milk," he says.

Mbele says milk harvesting is only half of the battle for dairy farmers as there are other several steps a farmer must complete before selling it. This he says includes processing, storage, transport and marketing. “Each step can pose problems for farmers, and can result in the loss of some or much of the milk,” he says.

Keywords: south-africa agriculture