SPONSORED: Construction going quickly at upcoming fresh produce market

This is one of the flagship projects spearheaded by the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) to create a market for the province’s fruits and vegetables.

MEGA has developed a set of investment opportunities that will expand the scope of provincial public-private partnerships and drive economic growth in the province and the south-east African region as a whole.

The MIFPM entails development that will enable Mpumalanga farmers access to trade their fresh produce to local and international markets. Situated in Mbombela, the MIFPM will provide open trading halls for fruit and vegetables, a meat market, complimentary cold storage, ripening facilities, pallet handling, processing facilities and bulk breaking facilities for retail outlets, among other offerings.

“The MIFPM has a strong regional focus, and will comply with international best practices in terms of food safety measures, traceability, cold chain and ripening facilities,” said Themba Camane, GM of infrastructure development and management.

In support of the MIFPM, the Mpumalanga government is in the process of establishing agri-hubs that will be located within seven local municipalities throughout the province, which will provide a stable supply of fresh produce into the MIFPM. This will develop new markets and strengthen existing outlets both locally and internationally for the province’s commercial and emerging growers. The agri-hubs will also address both the distance factor, scarcity of skills and services in a mixed commercial/small-scale model of production.

The MIFPM will be the country’s leading Spatial Development Initiative (SDI), linking Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone with the deep-water port of Maputo in Mozambique.

Farmers and customers from Mpumalanga, regional markets in Swaziland and Mozambique and the international market will have access to the MIFPM by being supplied with agricultural produce from the agri-hubs.

As the most productive and important agricultural region in the country, Mpumalanga is home to predominantly tropical and subtropical crops owing to its conducive climate, and has great potential for expansion and investment opportunities in the delivery of the fresh produce market infrastructure and its operation, a private development of the retail facility, value addition facilities (agro-processing), and transport and logistical support for the market.

The tropical and subtropical crops currently consist of avocados, bananas, citrus, ginger, granadillas, guavas, litchis, macadamia nuts, mangoes, papayas and pineapples.

The vegetables produced are potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, sweet corn, onions, sweet potatoes, beetroot, carrots, green peas, cauliflower, cabbages and green beans.

The project is currently at the developmental stage, with bulk infrastructure service projects under way. The current project has thus far created 150 job opportunities, nine SMMEs for construction companies, and has benefitted an additional 30 local supplier companies.

The process is far advanced with construction of the top market structures expected to commence in the first quarter of 2018, thus creating a further 600 job opportunities.

This content was supplied by MEGA