Grass Harvesting Business Flourishes
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday August 7, 2017 18:00
During this season women from across the country set up camps along the Nata-Pantamatenga road in order to collect grass, which is sold to different buyers.
In an interview, one of the grass collectors, Idwani Katholo (63) from Tutume said that they camp with other women from different locations to gather grass in order to sell to their communities.
She said that grass gathering business is doing well and generating a lot of profit.
“I didn’t invest a lot in the business. All I did was bring my camping equipment and gather a lot of grass. In short with this kind of business you spend very little and earn a lot of income,” she said.
Katholo said that she started the business in 2014 after realising that there was demand for traditional brooms in the community.
She said that after gathering a bunch of grass, she separates it into smaller bundles to make traditional brooms.
She said that a majority of her customers prefer to buy traditional brooms than a big bunch of grass.
The entrepreneur said that she used to sell traditional brooms at P6 each but increased the price to P7 in 2016. She said she makes close to P300 in two days and a monthly net income of over P3,000.
Katholo further said that she has tenders to provide traditional brooms to local schools such as Tutume McConnell College, Pandangala Junior Secondary School (JSS), Denjebuya JSS and primary schools.
As a breadwinner for the family, Katholo said that she provides food, clothing and pay utilities using the money earned through selling grass.
She added that she is also building herself a house with some of her personal savings from the grass gathering business.
Katholo’s camp partner, Bontshetse Kelelelo (46) from Jamataka said that the grass harvesting has a lot of profit.
She said that she sells harvested grass both in bulk and in small quantities depending on the customers’ preference.
Kelelelo indicated that she is able to pay for her children’s school fees and have regained her dignity in the community through the business.
She said that she joined the business in order rid her family of poverty.
The free minded businesswoman said that like any other business, gathering grass also has implications such as the rising number of competitors.
“When I started the business a few years ago, there were fewer competitors but now the camp site is always crowded,” she said.
She said that another challenge that comes with harvesting grass is sustaining long-term injuries such as back pains.