Honorable Minister Shines Proud Of Her Farming Business
Honorable Minster shines proud of her farming business. Beauty Manake is the Assistant Minster in the Ministry Of Agricultural Development and Food Security in Botswana. She is also the proud owner of KUNGO FARMS, which she established 11years ago. Manake quit her then white collar job to pursue farming and the journey has been a very productive one, with the farm having grown to great heights since then.
The honorable assistant minister from Botswana runs a thriving vegetable and livestock farm, as well as an agribusiness consultancy group. She had not always visualized herself as the successful farmer she is today. In 2007, Manake graduated from the University of Botswana with a degree in Business Information Systems, and was able to secure what may be described as ‘a well-paying job’ in a company of choice as a systems technologist.” Two years later she resigned and took a leap of faith into the agriculture industry.
The establishment of KUNGO FARMS came shortly after a little self introspection into Manake’s lifestyle. Her immediate influence came from her mother who she admits was making at least four times her salary from farming. It then dawned on her that the corporate world was not going to sustain her needs or help her reach her desires on a financial level for long and that is how she entered into the world of farming. When her journey started it had very little to do with passion, but more because she wanted money and wanted it quick.
In 2009, Manake started Kungo Farms, a 35-hectare farm located 8km from her home village of Bobonong in central Botswana. She has since extended the estate to include over 250 fruit trees such as mangoes, citrus, plums and litchis. At approximately 550 km from Kungo Farms, Manake opened up a beef production cattle ranch of 3,600 hectares called Pii Jena, which means ‘milk borehole,’ in the local Khoisan language. The ranch now boasts a total of about 500 cattle.
As part of her ministerial role, Manake often visits different farms and shares her experiences on her social media. She does this in an attempt to inspire other young people who might be interested in farming and to also share the progress other farmers are making. Her latest visit however was a visit to her own farm, an experience she wasn’t more than eager to share with those who look up to her.
Manake’s involvement in agribusiness falls in line with persistent campaigns by the different entities of the government that push for self-sustenance and the growth of the agricultural sector. Her story is an inspiration to many and there is definitely a lot more to be expected from her.
