GETTING to Phindile Nkosi’s farm from Mpumalanga International Airport cannot be described as easy. It’s a two-hour drive along roads littered with king-sized potholes.When you are just about to give up, you finally reach the 13ha Elukwatini Farm. In this remote part of the province, 13 emerging farmers are growing tomatoes destined for Woolworths’ fresh-produce aisles.The backing of South Africa’s leading retailer helps these farmers to access lucrative markets, which would otherwise be out of reach, given the remoteness of Elukwatini, about 30km from the Swazi border.The association with an up-market brand also gives their supplier status a much-needed boost. The Woolworths brand is synonymous with high-quality fresh produce.Ms Nkosi, a single mother of four, is benefiting from Woolworths’ "out of poverty" enterprise development programme.The programme helped her sell her tomatoes at a sufficient profit to build herself a home and put her eldest child through university. Diane Pet...
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