Emerging farmers in the Vhembe District received a shot in the arm after a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market (JFPM) at the municipality’s offices on Tuesday.

The contents of the memorandum includes the construction of a fresh produce market that will give many local emerging farmers good opportunities to sell their products in one of the biggest fresh produce markets on the continent.

The project, titled Vhembe Fresh Produce Market, will be situated in the Shayandima Industrial area near Thohoyandou, where emerging farmers from the four municipalities in Vhembe (Thulamela, Mutale, Makhado and Musina) will bring their products for packaging and to be sold to different markets here and abroad.

Speaking during the signing of the memorandum, the chief executive officer of JFPM, Mr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, said that,for the first time in the province, emerging farmers will be able to sell their products to the bigger markets. "We are expecting to make turnover profits of about R2,8 billion from the 2008/9 financial year, because many poor farmers who were neglected are happy with our working with them. They will no longer suffer the exploitation they experienced in the past as some of their products got rotten without reaching commercial markets," said Ramokgopa.

He added that the Vhembe District in Limpopo is the production hub of South Africa and most of products they sold came from the region which is rich in agricultural products. "When farmers are able to bring their products together at a market, their business could grow faster and create more jobs in the communities where they live. We promise to market their products, so that they can have access to sell their commodities at competitive prices," added Ramokgopa.

He said some of the challenges hindering good production for poor emerging farmers in the country were the rising cost of pesticides and high cost of diesel and oil.

Mr Muthotho Sigidi, the municipal manager of Vhembe District, called on all emerging farmers to embrace the opportunity offered them with open arms. He said the time was not yet ripe to jump into international relations and partnerships. "Charity begins at home; let us start building partnerships with organizations like the JFPM," he said.

Khosi Vho Ravele Davhana, representing farmer formations, said farmers from this part of the country were struggling in terms of marketing their produce. "The days of sending things to the market and getting nothing in return are over. We have a direction now and the future looks brighter," he said. He said the new market is the best thing to have happened during their farming career. "We dreamt of this to happen, but we never thought it would come during our lifetime," he said. He said the new market will mean improved and quality products for farmers as they will know that they have a ready market to market their stuff. He said the market had opened up competition with the outside world. "We have to work extra hard in order to compete with other countries." Davhana said he would mobilize all farmers in the district to make use of the market.