When he started farming vegetables in 2020, Blessings Mlelemba never thought that farming would become his livelihood but his hard work and determination to be successful has resulted in the creation of jobs for others.
Armed with a Certificate in Carpentry and Joinery from TEVETA, the 26-year-old farmer from Lunzu in Blantyre told ProjectM that he ventured into farming due to high demand for food on the market.
“Agriculture is viable. If one wants to invest, then they should invest in agriculture because every human being needs food and this is daily business, which is unlike running a clothing shop where your customers are limited,” he explained.
Mlelemba shared a testimony of how farming has transformed his livelihood and that of his family.
“I started my business with K93,000 when I bought tomato seedlings, from the proceeds that I made I managed to grow cabbage and legumes. I am now able to make over a million from each crop that I grow. I have also managed to buy my own wooden making machine, chapati and tofu. This has helped to meet the needs of my family,” he said.
Mlelemba has now 2 full-time workers, has also trained youths and plans to train more youths on onion farming.
“So, this year, after growing onions, I saw the demand on the market and if one would have a 200,000 on a nursery, they would realise a profit margin of about K600,000 in a space of about 3-4 months. I am expecting to make about K4 million when I harvest my onions,” he said.
Mlelemba has, therefore, encouraged the youth to take up farming especially with the complexities of the job market and scarcity of white-collar jobs.
Through his company Dreamlight Greenlight Innovations, he has organised training for the youth on onion and okra farming. He is targeting to train over a 2000 youth by the end of the year.
