A crop farmer from Madimbo in the Musina area, Mrs Maria Livhuwani Mulaudzi (39), won the best export market producer award during the provincial finals of the National Female Farmers award, held in Bela-Bela last Friday.

Twelve Limpopo farmers have been given a cash boost for the role they play in agricultural development in the province and a cash prize of R140 000 was shared among the 12 hardworking ladies.

In the competition, four category winners were awarded for household produce, informal, national and the export produce market.

Mulaudzi started farming in 2003, after she had been working as a farm worker. She first leased two hectares, but at present she is producing her crops on a 10-hectare piece of land. Mulaudzi said that her life has changed since she became a farmer, because previously she was used to depending on her parents and money she earned while working on the farm.

“I have 15 permanent workers and eight temporary workers, but my wish is to grow and I think I still need to employ more workers,” she said

“There are a lot of challenges in the farming industry and, as a woman, you have to be brave to change your farming methods if they are not yielding products. I still need more land, because winning the prize has motivated me a lot,” she said.

She adds: “With the money I won, I will buy products that I still need to improve in producing fresh products.”

In the other categories, Vatiswa Mavume of the Mopani district was nominated best farmer in the informal market, Ndateni Makungo of Vhembe district won the category for national market, and Gugu Thembe of the Capricorn district took home first prize for the household market.

The four winners will compete in the national competition that is going to be held in Durban on August 28.

The Minister of Land and Agriculture, Ms Lulu Xingwana, said during the ceremony that women should learn to teach others their farming skills, so that their counterparts can do better too.

She said that she was impressed with the skills of women farmers and called on them to put in more effort, as there is a demand in the export market to supply China and the European countries.