Khairya: Example of successful agri-business women [Archives:2008/1134/Last Page]
March 3 2008
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Khairya Al-Sarafi has been chosen as a good example for successful agri-business women in Yemen. The woman, 55, has wide farmlands stretching over 2.2 hectometers and planted with all kinds of grapes.
She was selected along with another two women by Ardinc (ARD), an American non-government organization.
The selection is part of ARD's series of events titled 'Raising Awareness about the Issues Facing Women in Agri-business', which is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The goal of the series is to draw attention to issues that are specific to women working in the field of agri-business and to engage the community in discussion about possible ways to overcome these issues.
Khairya inherited her land from her father many years ago. She has nine children. As her early life's circumstances were very difficult, she couldn't go to school, but she was determined to compensate for that in her children. “I have nine children, five daughters and four sons. Some of them finished studying at university while the others are still in school,” Khairya said.
She decided to take full responsibility of her farm and thus help her children have a chance at education. She brought females laborers to help her work in the vineyards, preferring female laborers as they are of the same sex as her.
For her, farming was not her only job; she later decided to sell her products herself. The beginning, though, was difficult. “I remember the first time I went to the market. I was shy and it was difficult for me to talk to men and negotiate with them on the prices of my products. But someone came and showed me how to market, negotiate and sell my products,” Khairya explained.
With the passage of time, Khairya mastered the game and was able to attract many buyers. Khairya is never absent from the market in order not to lose her customers, and her customers don't buy grapes from anyone but her. “I always go to the market with my products and am never absent from the market, even on Eid holidays. For example, on the day of Eid, I receive visitors at home for a while and then I go to the market. My relatives don't feel angry because they appreciate that I have a business and, as you know, business is business,” said Khairya.
Khairya's sons help her in farming and selling products during school and university holidays, while one of her daughters, who is studying at the Faculty of Engineering, keeps records of expenditures, sales and interests. “I try my best not to distract my children from their studies because I want them to be educated. In return, they help me during holidays, when some of my sons go to the vineyards, others go with me to the market to sell products, and the girl keeps records of everything,” Khairya added.
Khairya always tries to develop her business, but in the same field. In addition to the land that she inherited from her father, she bought 22,000 meters of land. Also, she is now trying to buy a water pump for 12,000,000 riyals.
Despite the success that Khairya has achieved, she faces many difficulties. One of the most prominent problems is the price hikes of fuel and oil. “The main problem I face is the price hikes in fuel. We used to buy a barrel of diesel for 2,000 riyals and now I'm buying it for 7,000. It is really a crucial problem,” complained Khairya.
Another difficulty is recession, when supply is more than demand. Also, she faces difficulties with the Ministry of Agriculture, which didn't provide her with modern irrigation systems.
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