Farmarket

Who needs seedlings? You can buy seedlings from us and start right now.

Variety is the Texas grano of Seedco.

P150 for 1000 seedlings. Discount offered for big orders.

Call 77875487
WhatsApp 76433209

We can deliver to areas near Gaborone and Mochudi or just send by bus for areas far away.

Location: Malotwane, Kgatlheng districts

We start selling it from here if the market needs it. A bunch like that for at least P5. Ke a itse baGabs ba e rata e ntse jaana.

Ke raa gore re simolotse jaana from Diagane, Molepolole.

Broccoli at Diagane

Listen to the Turmeric Man, he's giving you real lessons.

KE KA LEMA ENG SE SE PROFITABLE GO SIMOLOLA NOW? This is the question I always get ke ntse ke thusa my . My answer is provided here, read and share with others. 🙏

FARMARKET COMMERCIAL HORTICULTURE GUIDE FOR 1 HECTARE

1 Hectare: What it takes, what it can return, and what to watch?

You have land, reliable water and capital.

Before choosing a crop, understand this:

«You prepare the hectare once. Then you choose crops according to season, market timing and your management capacity.»

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1. 1-HECTARE FARM ESTABLISHMENT COST

This setup can support onion, cabbage, tomato, butternut and watermelon.

Item| Planning Cost
Land preparation and field layout| P12,000
Drip irrigation system: 10,000L tank, piping, fittings, filters and disposable drip lines| Up to P60,000
Crates, basic tools and harvest handling equipment| P10,000–P15,000
Estimated establishment capital| P82,000–P87,000

Borehole drilling, pump, solar/electric power and borehole equipping are separate infrastructure costs.

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2. SHARED SEASONAL OPERATING COST

Item| Planning Cost per Season
Fertiliser, soil conditioners and agrochemicals| ±P20,000
Labour for one hectare| Up to P30,000
Transport and market delivery| P5,000–P10,000
Contingency| P5,000–P10,000
Shared seasonal operating cost| ±P60,000–P70,000

The crop you choose mainly changes the seed cost, crop duration, pest pressure, harvest method and selling price.

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3. CROP OPTIONS: 1 HECTARE COMMERCIAL VIEW

ONION

Best current commercial crop for the cool season

Why onion?
Daily demand, broad market and longer shelf life after curing.

Onion| Planning Figure
Crop cycle| ±4–5 months
Target yield| 35–45 tonnes
Working yield| 40 tonnes
Selling price| P6–P8/kg
Gross revenue| P240,000–P320,000
Seed cost| P12,000–P18,000
Shared operating cost| P60,000–P70,000
Estimated seasonal profit| P152,000–P248,000

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CABBAGE

Strong cool-season crop, sold mainly per head

Why cabbage?
Broad demand from households, traders, retailers, schools and caterers.

Cabbage| Planning Figure
Crop cycle| ±3–4 months
Plant population| ±24,000 heads/ha
Target head weight| ±4.5 kg/head
High-performance yield target| ±108 tonnes/ha
Average selling price| ±P10/head
Gross revenue| ±P240,000
Seed cost| Depends on variety and supplier
Shared operating cost| P60,000–P70,000
Estimated seasonal profit| ±P160,000–P180,000

Plan for undersized heads, losses and market rejection. The 4.5 kg/head target is a high-performance target, not a guarantee.

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TOMATO

High-return crop — determinate hybrid for open-field startup production

Why tomato?
Strong demand and high earning potential when market timing is right.

Tomato| Planning Figure
Production system| Determinate hybrid, open field
Crop cycle| ±4–5 months
Plant population| ±20,000 plants/ha
Working yield| ±50 tonnes/ha
Selling price| P6–P10/kg
Gross revenue| P300,000–P500,000
Seed requirement| ±20,000 hybrid seeds
Seed cost| P20,000–P24,000
Trellising/staking| P10,000–P15,000
Shared operating cost| P60,000–P70,000
Estimated seasonal profit| P191,000–P395,000

Indeterminate tomato is better suited to protected production/netshade and a longer harvesting programme.

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BUTTERNUT

Warm-season crop with storage advantage

Why butternut?
It gives the farmer more selling time after harvest than tomato.

Butternut| Planning Figure
Crop cycle| ±3–4 months
Plant population| ±16,000 plants/ha
Seed requirement| ±16,000 hybrid seeds
Seed cost| ±P16,000
Working yield| ±25 tonnes/ha
Selling price| P5–P8/kg
Gross revenue| P125,000–P200,000
Shared operating cost| P60,000–P70,000
Estimated seasonal profit| P39,000–P124,000

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WATERMELON

Hot-season crop, commonly sold per head

Why watermelon?
Strong hot-season demand and high cashflow potential.

Watermelon| Planning Figure
Crop cycle| ±3–4 months
Plant population| ±12,000 plants/ha
Fruit target| 2 marketable watermelons per plant
Marketable fruit| ±24,000 watermelons/ha
Average fruit weight| ±6 kg+
Selling price| ±P30 per watermelon
Gross revenue| ±P720,000
Seed requirement| ±12,000 hybrid seeds
Seed cost| ±P12,000–P14,400
Shared operating cost| P60,000–P70,000
Estimated seasonal profit| ±P635,000–P648,000

Watermelon has strong upside, but rain, fruit cracking, fruit fly, transport losses and market flooding can reduce returns sharply.

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MARKET: THESE CROPS SHARE THE SAME BUYERS

- Informal traders
- Retailers and greengrocers
- Wholesalers
- Schools, hospitals and caterers
- Restaurants and hotels
- Direct household sales
- FARMARKET aggregation channels

«Do not wait for harvest to ask: “Ke rekisa kae?”
Secure at least three buyer routes before planting.»

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MARKET TIMING: WHAT TO WATCH

Crop| Best selling approach| Main warning
Onion| Cure and sell into tighter supply periods| Imports and harvest peaks reduce price
Cabbage| Sell continuously as heads mature| Too many farmers harvesting together
Tomato| Plant for market gaps| Prices can crash within days
Butternut| Cure and sell gradually| Bulk supply weakens price
Watermelon| Sell during hot, dry demand periods| Rain, flooding and transport losses

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RISKS THAT APPLY TO ALL CROPS

- Frost, unexpected rain, heat and wind
- Water interruption or pump failure
- Pest and disease outbreaks
- Input price increases
- Labour shortages
- Market flooding
- Poor quality and buyer rejection
- Transport delays
- Good yield but weak selling price

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FARMARKET 1-HECTARE STARTER MIX

Current cool-season production

Area| Crop| Expected marketable output| Expected seasonal gross return
0.50 ha| Onion| ±20 tonnes| P120,000–P160,000
0.25 ha| Cabbage| ±6,000 marketable heads| ±P60,000
0.25 ha| Beetroot| ±6–7.5 tonnes| P31,000–P60,000
Total 1 hectare| | | ±P211,000–P280,000 gross revenue

Expected cool-season planning profit

After seed, fertiliser, agrochemicals, labour, transport and crop handling:

«±P125,000–P200,000 per season»

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AFTER FROST: WARM-SEASON 1-HECTARE MIX

Area| Crop| Expected marketable output| Expected seasonal gross return
0.50 ha| Determinate tomato| ±25 tonnes| P150,000–P250,000
0.25 ha| Butternut| ±6–7.5 tonnes| P31,000–P60,000
0.25 ha| Watermelon| ±6,000 marketable fruit| ±P180,000
Total 1 hectare| | | ±P361,000–P490,000 gross revenue

Expected warm-season planning profit

After seed, fertiliser, agrochemicals, labour, trellising, transport and crop handling:

«±P250,000–P360,000 per season»

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WHAT CAN 1 HECTARE RETURN IN A YEAR?

A farmer who completes:

- One cool-season production cycle; and
- One warm-season production cycle;

can target:

Annual Measure| Planning Range
Annual gross revenue| ±P572,000–P770,000
Annual planning profit| ±P375,000–P560,000
Year 1 establishment capital| ±P82,000–P87,000

«Annual planning profit is before loan repayments, owner salary and tax.»

Year 1 is about establishing the hectare and proving the production system. From Year 2, the irrigation and land-preparation investment is already in place.

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HOW FARMARKET HELPS YOU START

FARMARKET helps farmers move from land and water to a planned commercial production system.

Our core support:

- Horticulture farm advisory and practical training
- Farm visits, crop planning and production budgets
- Drip irrigation system design, supply and installation
- Netshade structure supply and installation
- Borehole equipping and farm water systems
- Site planning, farm setup and technical support
- Fertiliser, pest and disease management programmes
- Harvest and market-readiness planning

«You do not need to guess your way into horticulture.
FARMARKET helps you establish, produce and grow with a plan.»

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READY TO START?

FARMARKET (PTY) LTD
Powering Agriculture

Call or WhatsApp: +267 77875487
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Farmarketbw

Re teng go lo direla ka tse di kwadilweng ka bokgabane. Call 77875487 for inquiries 🙏

BEETROOT at Malotwane is responding well this winter. Don't forget to register for our upcoming training about Commercial Onion Farming.

Be an early bird and pay just P670 instead or P750.
You can pay for workers or group at discounted prices as well.

More details about training in the comment section.

Will see you there..