Ban boosts business for big potato producer

South African-born farmer Johan van Vuuren, together with his brother Fred Sr and nephew, Fred Jr, run one of Botswana’s largest potato production enterprises on their farm in Pandamatenga in the north of the country. Van Vuuren spoke to Tshiamo Tabane about their journey to success, and how the government's recently announced ban on vegetable imports has benefitted them.

- Tshiamo Tabane

To the outsider, it would appear as though the government of Botswana had farmer Johan van Vuuren and his family in mind when banning the importation of vegetables into the country.

Originally from South Africa, the Van Vuurens emigrated to Botswana 21 years ago. Once here, they realised that they had an ideal opportunity to grow potatoes for local consumption.

Today, Van Vuuren, his brother Fred Sr and his nephew, Fred Jr, produce a combined harvest of nearly 5 000t of potatoes annually.

Van Vuuren attributes much of their success to the years of experience gained by their father in South Africa. Van Vuuren's father started farming near Springbok Flats, in today's Limpopo, in 1952.

"He produced various dryland crops, such as maize, sorghum, sunflower and cotton. I farmed with him, worked for a company that produced potatoes, and was also involved with exports of prunes and peaches for two years. Then we moved to Botswana in 2002," says Van Vuuren.

His farm, Highbury, is located in Pandamatenga, about 820km north of Botswana's capital, Gaborone. The area, which is close to the borders of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Angola, is at the centre of the government's push for the development of sustainable agriculture in Botswana.

CLIMATE

Pandamatenga has about 82 rainy days, with an average annual rainfall of around 600mm, making it ideal for grain, horticulture and livestock production.

Another advantage of farming here is that the area is not frost-prone.

"Before 2022, we hadn't had frost in years. Even the frost we had last year was mild and didn't do much damage. Our potato plants survived and still produced a crop of good quality and quantity.