Khorixas farming couple makes inroads in rural poultry market
It took many years to turn their farming operation into a viable enterprise but for Abraham Nasimab and Renathe Nasimas, their persistence have turned out well. They are now proud farmers who have also venture into poultry in addition to the more conventional smallstock and cattle farming.
Their journey started in the 1990s as weekend farmers. The first break came in 2002 when they applied for a loan from Agribank to buy their own cattle.
“We started at Groot Aub with 10 sheep, 20 goats and 40 layers. When the chickens increased to about 60 and the smallstock to about 80, we moved to Nevada in the Otjiwarongo district but there our farming outfit was beset with problems. So we moved again to the Khorixas area, where our cattle increased to about 100. Due to the drought situation we have since decreased our livestock numbers by about three quarters,” said Renathe.
Today their main business is poultry. The couple expanded into commercial poultry production in 2018, now owning about 300 layers that has increased their egg production tremendously. They also raise marathon chickens which are very popular in their local market. They tried their hand at broiler production but this turned out not to be as lucrative as egg production.
Now the family is resuming the expansion of their entire poultry farming business. “We have designated an area on the farm to expand the layers and broilers as well as rearing local marathon chicken due to popular demand. Marathon chicken sells like hot cakes,” Renathe said.
Before Covid19 the family sold their poultry products to lodges and local communities, but due to the lockdown most lodges closed down. The only customers they are left with are local community members to whom they sell mainly eggs and marathon chickens but egg production is still the mainstay of their operation.
Always humble and always eager to learn more, Renathe said “Agriculture education is never enough; it’s a lifelong learning process. It was always my wish to expand our agribusiness. I’m confident we’ll get there. Most importantly, we envisaged a garden. We started with a small experimental garden and now we want to expand to fruit orchards and vegetable gardens since we have enough water.”
Renathe Nasimas doing her daily inspection of her layer batteries with husband Abraham Nasimab making notes of all aspects that need to be followed up.
