Michael Sakuneka

The winner of last year's female farmer of the year competition, Makgoro Mannya, has been nominated as one of the top 10 finalists for the national Toyota Harvest competition.

The competition will take place at the Inanda Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg, next Wednesday.

The award forms part of the company's social responsibility activities and they have nominated several top entrepreneurs like Mannya in an effort to empower and improve their business skills, as well as give them international exposure.

Mannya, through her company Ditubatse Business Enterprises, was honoured by the Department of Agriculture after she was named overall winner in the export category.

She started farming five years ago after she bought the farm Mieliekloof outside Tzaneen for R8,5 million with a loan provided by the Land Bank.

Mannya produces mangoes, avocados, guavas, litchis and vegetables on the 440-hectare farm.

She also manufactures atchar from the mangoes.

Mannya employs 86 fulltime workers and 40 casuals.

"I feel honoured to be among the top entrepreneurs from across various business sectors," she said.

"It will help expose my business nationally and internationally."

She told Sowetan that she was working on a programme aimed at building a fully fledged factory where atchar will be packaged.