The farmer – and family – who feed a nation

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion,” said the owner of Fremax Farms, Fred Kadish, aka the potato king of South Africa, on receiving the Absa Business Icon Award at the Sandton Convention Centre on 19 November.

“I would like to thank the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards for this most prestigious award. I enjoyed the build-up to this evening. Winning is the cherry on the top.”

Fremax Farms is located in Mpumalanga and guarantees food security for Africa. It cultivates potatoes, maize, cattle, and soya. “Our farming is known as precision farming,” the 85-year-old Kadish said. “We have the latest farming techniques. We export crops into Mozambique, and our other crops are all here locally.”

Kadish said Fremax Farms had built many dams and frequently farmed under irrigation. “We’re looking to produce three or four times as much as on dry land. Drought is a major challenge. We face a lot of challenges, and there’s always something going against the crops. We need to be organised.

“We have a school on a farm with just more than 400 kids. We bus the kids in and give them breakfast. The results have been pretty good.”

After matriculating, Kadish started working on his dad’s farm of 600 hectares. “Today, we have increased that to close to 10 000 hectares,” Kadish said. “I’ve got my grandson with me and a nephew who is farming with us as well, which is really good for continuity. I’m a third-generation farmer, and they are fourth-generation farmers. I just hope their farming will go from strength to strength, providing food for the country. Our staff is also third and fourth generation.”

Kadish accepted the Absa Business Icon Award not just for himself, but also for his late dad, Lazar, and brother, Max. “Together, we built up Fremax Farms, hence I’m still the boss and I can now hand over to the children and grandchildren to keep my father’s legacy alive. As far as I’m concerned, we’re all winners here tonight. As Jews, we stand together for the betterment and advancement of our beautiful South Africa. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika [Lord, Bless Africa].”