Gauteng’s new green revolution creates economic opportunities
Employees invariably spoke about the life-changing experiences that came with employment.
Gauteng’s smallholder farmers have begun experiencing historic, life-changing and never-before-seen growth and profitability in their businesses, resulting in increased employment and economic opportunities.
This new-found success can be attributed to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD)’s ongoing roll-out of the agro-processing economic development initiative. It aims to support smallholder farmers to grow the economies of disadvantaged communities and create employment, through the onsite production of value-added products.
Agro-processing involves the value-adding transformation of products that originate from the agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries. Some of the agro-processing projects supported by the GDARD involve onsite growing of agricultural crops, harvesting, processing and packaging of the products and then delivering them to the market as finished and value-added products.
The value-added products produced in Gauteng by these agro-processing projects include sunflower oil, maize meal, vegetables, fruits, meat and stock feeds.
In wide-ranging interviews held with employees working at these agro-processing projects, each employee invariably spoke about the life-changing experiences that came with employment.
“After my Grade 12, I started working at the Magaliesburg-based Tropical Mushrooms Project,” said John Thebe, pack house manager. “Before that, there was no one to look after me, but everything is now well with me.”
The employment benefits extend to the employees’ families as well. For example, Johanne Masete said, “Since I started working at the Tropical Mushrooms Project, I have been able to provide for my family’s needs, something that I could not do when I was unemployed.”
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Tropical Mushroom Project, Peter Nyathi, who started the project from scratch, borrowing money from Absa Bank and later getting assistance from government, acknowledged the support he had recently received from GDARD and the Department of Forestry and Fisheries, saying, “The Tropical Mushroom Project has created employment for 145 permanent employees.
“Within the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association, Tropical Mushrooms is the only black-owned and -managed farm in the country. It forces one to think that there is a need for something to change.”
The Tropical Mushroom Project produces 15–18 tonnes of mushrooms weekly, all of which goes to the South African market, but the intention for the future is to begin supplying other Southern African countries, such as Botswana.
The door is still wide open for more Gauteng farmers who want to get involved in the profitable agro-processing industry. A Provincial and District Screening Committee examines all applications, and farmers are selected on the basis of their skills, competencies and potential to be able to produce and participate in the economy.
* Original article by Emmanuel Koro, an environment and development journalist based in Johannesburg.
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