CAPE TOWN - AgriSA on Friday congratulated Johan van der Schyff after he was named Toyota South Africa/Agri SA’s young farmer of the year for 2019.
The egg producer from the Plettenberg Bay area in the Western Cape, produces approximately one million dozen eggs per month, for exporting as far as Angola and Namibia. He was named young farmer of the year on Thursday night.
On his entry form, Van Der Schyff said his priority was to farm smarter and more effectively, not necessarily bigger, and his objective was to be the preferred egg supplier in the Western and Eastern Cape.
Sewis van der Horst, an apple, pear and nectarine producer from the Villiersdorp area, was named the New Harvest competition winner for 2019. As the son of a farm worker, he is today a farmer in his own right and exporter of quality fruit.
“The finalists in the Young Farmer and New Harvest competition are like the Springboks of agriculture,” AgriSA deputy executive director Christo van der Rheede said. “Everyone of them has a special vision that they strive for and they never lose sight of their end goal. That’s why they are so successful in what they do.”
AgriSA said it recognised the role that young farmers play as dynamic business people in agriculture. It said the young farmers have already shown that they can overcome challenges and can use technology in their production process to enhance their outputs.
“Toyota South Africa’s investment is not merely an investment in the lives of young farmers but also an investment in the sector. Our young farmer finalists are the ideal role models and serve as inspiration for young people to enter the industry,” added Van der Rheede.