By DERRICK SILIMINA
In 2015, Chimwang’a village Headman Chrispin Chimwang’a enrolled in the Fortune World Investment business training programme and completed all the modules.
On account of the training, Chimwang’a expanded his vegetable production at his base 12 kilometres south of Solwezi, and increased his sales to marketeers who came to his garden at least once per week.
“My wife and I jointly owned the project and since our customers bought the produce at wholesale price, we made a profit when they resold at retail price and from the proceeds, my wife and I raised only about K1,500 from the sales per month,” Chimwang’a says.
After Chimwang’a started attending the training and shared his newly acquired knowledge of doing business with his wife, they increased production of the existing range of vegetables by about 50 per cent and added a component of growing maize and Irish potatoes.
Additionally, they grew their crops throughout the year instead of only during the rainy season.
Interestingly, Chimwang’a and his wife’s vegetable sales boomed as they did not wait for marketeers to come to their garden only, but also from time to time delivered their produce to sale in town markets at retail price. In this way, revenue increased to about K4000 per month.
At the time of the visit by a mentorship team from Fortune World Investments Limited consisting of Andrew Kafuta and Patrick Matanda, the farmer’s lima and half of maize was near flowering.
“I thank Kansanshi Mining Plc for providing me with free, invaluable training that included basic computer literacy. He added that the training has enabled me to fend for my household well and not to depend on handouts.”
Chimwang’a has also revealed that he is in the process of securing a small-scale mining license for the mining of quartz with a partner he has already found.
The visiting team advised that registration of the business be not restricted to mining alone, but that farming business should also be considered for formalization as soon as possible.
