Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies (ISSN: 2220-6140) Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 26-38, June 2022 26 Market Potential of Freshwater Fish Farmers in Limpopo Province Master Maebane, Ntise Manchidi, Germinah Chiloane-Phetla University of South Africa, South Africa maebamm@unisa.ac.za, manchnh@unisa.ac.za, chiloge@unisa.ac.za Abstract: O. mossambicus is one of the most cultured food fish worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, it is essential for meeting the need for food security, as it can be a cheap source of protein. Previous studies focused to some extent on the profitability of tilapia farmers. This study aims to make a scientific contribution by analyzing the market environment, and specifically the potential customers, of the O. mossambicus farmers who belong to small and medium enterprises in agriculture, by using a feasibility analysis framework. A mixed-methods approach was used to achieve the research objectives. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), to compile descriptive and inferential statistics. The reliability and validity of the data collection instrument were measured using Chronbach’s Alpha values. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was the statistical method used, and the f-test was conducted to determine the statistical significance of the variables in the multivariate analysis. The overall results of the study showed that O. mossambicus farmers largely sell the fish fresh to individual consumers and informal fish traders at farm stalls. In contrast, fish traders bought the O. mossambicus frozen or smoked from other suppliers. Here, recommendations are made in respect of new entrepreneurial ventures, next steps for business consultants and other stakeholders in the O. mossambicus industry, and future research directions. Keywords: Freshwater fish, Market potential, O. mossambicus, SME farmers. 1. Introduction Globally, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are regarded as the backbone of economies (Arokiasamy, & Ismail, 2009; Lopriore, 2009; Mutezo, 2013; Groepe, 2015; Bowmaker-Falconer & Herrington, 2020; Bosma, Hill, Ionescu-Somers, Kelley, Guerrero & Schott, 2021). In South Africa, the National Small Business Amendment Act (NSBAA) 29 of 2004 (RSA, 2004) defines a small business as ‟a separate and distinct business entity, together with its branches or subsidiaries, if any, including cooperative enterprises, managed by one owner or more, predominantly carried on in any sector or subsector of the economy”. Although small businesses can operate in any sector, the focus of the study reported here, was on agriculture. According to Herrington and Kew (2016), cited in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, Africa (13%) and Europe (8%) had more entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector, than the less than 5% in the other three regions reported on (North America, Latin America and the Caribbean). A study conducted in South Africa by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI, 2016) revealed that agriculture contributed only 2.3% to the gross domestic product (GDP); mining contributed 8%; manufacturing 13%; electricity 3.6%; construction 4%; trade and accommodation 15%; transport and communication 10%; finance and business services 20.9%; government services 17.4% and personal services 5.7%. Therefore, agriculture’s contribution to the South African economy is the lowest of all the sectors. Large enterprises contributed 64.5% of the total income in the agriculture sector, followed by small enterprises (20.1%), while micro- and medium-sized enterprises (MMEs) contributed 7.7% each (Statistics South Africa [Stats SA], 2017). Thus, MME contributions were lower than those of the other enterprises. In 2015, Pienaar and Traub revealed that there were approximately 35 000 white farmers in this country, regarded as the highly capitalized commercial sector, producing about 95% of agricultural output on 87% of total agricultural land, while the smallholder farming sector consisted of about four million black farmers, farming in the former homeland areas on 13% of the available agricultural land. Smallholder farmers are defined as “those who own small plots of land on which they grow subsistence crops and one or two cash crops and rely almost exclusively on family labor” (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], 2017a). The study by Pienaar and Traub (2015), which aimed to glean information on smallholder farmers in South Africa, emphasizes that smallholder agriculture represents a vehicle by which poverty reduction and rural development could be achieved. Smallholding in aquaculture contributes directly and indirectly to poverty reduction, especially in rural communities, by supplementing livelihoods, offering food security and reducing