How top potato farmer optimises production

Since taking over her late husband's farm three years ago, Franelyn Rossouw has been simplifying her approach to potato farming in order to streamline production. She spoke to Lindi Botha about how her focus on optimising irrigation, meticulous crop protection, and reducing in-field traffic is bearing fruit.

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Three years ago, Franelyn Rossouw, owner of Gro Africa Farming in Delmas, Mpumalanga, found herself at a crossroads. Her husband had committed suicide, and she could either sell the farm, or step out of her role as a farmer's wife and become the farmer herself.

With bills to pay and a household to support, she chose to take up the reins of the grain and potato farm.

"It was scary in the beginning. Although I farmed alongside my husband, I didn't have the detailed knowledge of how to produce potatoes. So, I sought out the right advice, appointed the right people, and cut back production to minimise risk during this learning curve," explains Rossouw.

The journey has been littered with challenges, but has not been without success. Last year, she was named the Bayer Female Farmer of the Year in recognition of her diligent stewardship.

Having the courage to step back and reduce production has been a key decision to stabilise the operation. In the first year after Rossouw took over, she continued planting the 80ha of potatoes the farm had been producing. But with load-shedding becoming an increasingly frequent reality, she had to find a way forward that would minimise the risk of the haphazard irrigation schedule that resulted from a lack of electricity. Production was halved, planting only 50% of two centre pivot fields.

While the farm initially had contracts with two food companies who bought their potatoes - Simba and Nature's Garden - by the second year, Rossouw chose to continue only with Nature's Garden.

"Simba requires that the potatoes are washed before being sent. This requires extra water and labour, and pushes up costs. It wasn't worth it," she explains.

Some 20ha are now planted to Marquis potatoes, which are suited to Nature's Garden's frozen chips production, and the other 20ha are planted with the Mondial variety to service the fresh produce market.

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