Ismail Motala

Sixteen years ago Ismail exchanged the corporate world for a farm in Wolseley. He has played a significant role in the transformation of the agricultural sector in the Western Cape for the past ten years. Working with farmers from across the province in a range of commodities and understanding the needs and challenges that black farmers face has been part of his daily routine. He is currently the chairperson of AFASA-WC and the Deciduous Fruit Development Chamber amongst a range of other development organizations that assist in transforming the agricultural sector. Besides farming in Wolseley, he is the MD of a black-owned company as well as Stargrow Development – that does business in the plant improvement sector and supply of a range of fruit trees throughout the country. The company also assists in developing black producers in the citrus and deciduous fruit regions by raising funds and providing technical expertise, marketing of fruit and supply of plant material.