Page 17 - 20 Cotton SA December 2019

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Venter says he was surprised by the standing hard to get all the BCI requirements in place.
ovation from cotton farmers and industry leaders. They received a 100% clean audit from the BCI
“It really means a lot to me, and it is the result of external auditors and were accredited with a five-
lots of hard work. I was quite moved.” year license.
Jozeph du Plessis from Locklore Boerdery in
COTTON AWARDS Schweizer-Reneke, North West, was awarded the
Petros Sithole received the Smallholder Farmer title of New Entrant Commercial Cotton Producer:
Award. He approached Cotton SA in 2014 to Dryland. He was commended for his excellent
investigate and collaborate for funding for the production performance and his contributions
Nkomazi cotton project in Mpumalanga with in taking part in organised agriculture, which
remarkable success. Since then, more than 700 includes Agri NW, Agri SA and Grain SA. He is
farmers have planted close to 2 000 hectares also involved in agricultural upliftment initiatives
on dryland fields in the region. Sithole said, “I through Grain SA and is involved in various
originally started grouping the cotton farmers in black empowerment initiatives in the Schweizer-
Nkomazi because I saw that they were struggling. Reneke area. He is a true leader and mentor
Together with Cotton SA and the Department of to other farmers in the area and supports new
Rural Development and Land Reform, we were technologies like precision farming.
able to help them. To think, I was (originally) a DB Lubbe, a new cotton farmer from Danrika
vegetable and sugar cane farmer when people Boerdery, Northern Cape, was also honoured as
started asking why I’m not going into cotton. It the New Entrant Commercial Cotton Producer:
was a great decision.” Irrigation. He succeeded despite being set back
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Farmer Award by a significant hailstorm in January 2019 on his
went to Johan and Corné de Klerk from the farm. The judges said his cotton quality was also
Sanleohan Trust in the Koedoeskop area, who of a good standard.
took part in the BCI project for the first time in the Jan-Lodewyk Young, from Limpopo, was
2018/2019 cotton season. Together with Nico awarded the title Commercial Cotton Producer:
Swart from the Koedoeskop Gin they worked Dryland. He has been farming with dryland

Leonard Venter with his wife Lona and their children Rouan and Esna Venter.

Volume 21 No 4 December 2019 | 17