SMEs digest: How Meshack found a niche in horticulture

Dar es Salaam. A young entrepreneur, Meshack Silima (32), does not regret his decision to study vegetables and fruits during his days as a university student.

The earlier dream for Meshack - who grew up in Mwanza, but currently resides at Mufindi, Iringa – was to become a pharmacist. But he later shifted to horticulture.

It was in 2016 that he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from the Sokoine University of Agriculture (Sua).

The education he got at Sua is what he is currently utilising at his farm where he produces seedlings for various vegetables and fruits, mostly tomato and green pepper. He also trains farmers on the best way to cultivate horticultural products, improve quality and secure markets.

He now dreams of becoming a major tomato farmer and gain from the massive market opportunities that the fruit offers.

“I was encouraged to venture into this study by my lecturer who also happens to own a farm and I worked in his farm on field attachment basis when I was in the second year of my studies. That was how my love for agriculture started,” he explains.

After graduating in 2016, he was employed in a farm in Mwanza as a farm manager where he worked for two years. He injected the money he earned while working into cultivation of onions at Magu District, Mwanza.

He used the money he earned through onion sales to establish a veterinary shop. He also established a half-acre tomato farm.

Customers coming to buy veterinary products in his shop would ask him for seedlings and that was he started thinking big, compelling him to start producing seedlings for tomatoes and green pepper. He used to earn Sh20,000 from selling one tray of the product. Each tray contains 200 seedlings. “During the rainy season, he could sell between 800 and 1,000 trays,” he said. This meant he made between Sh16 million and Sh20 million per season.

“Through the seedlings business I have been getting good feedback from farmers which gives me great comfort to see that the education that I have received is making impact on lives of others,” he said.

He now has offices in Iringa and Ilula and he plans to expand to many other areas.

He currently employs 7 young men full-time, while more than 40 others have part-time jobs.

In his farm he also produces other vegetable and fruit seedlings but only on special orders from farmers. Also, he continues to grow tomatoes.

The achievements notwithstanding, ready market access remains a key challenge facing farmers.

“When we were at college, we were taught that - before you start farming - you must know your customers. Most people start farming without knowing where to sell their products and as a result, they end up making losses and speaking ill of agriculture,” he pontificated.

A large number of small-scale farmers was also unaware of such issues as quality seeds and good farming practices, among other things.

“All in all, farming - especially horticulture - is a very promising undertaking that can yield quick returns for one’s investment. However, it requires farmers to follow all the correct procedures. The youth must understand that, if they really want jobs, then they must engage in agriculture,” he said.