Volume II - The Northern Cape Provincial Spatial Development ...

Northern Cape PSDF
Volume 2
December 2011
agriculture is practised and a range of high‐value crops is produced. The Northern Cape main
agricultural produce is as follows (LED Strategy):
a) High‐value horticultural products such as table grapes, sultanas and wine grapes, as well as
dates, nuts, cotton, fodder, and cereal crops are grown along the Orange River.
b) The area watered by the Vaalharts irrigation scheme, centred around towns of Hartswater
and Jan Kempdorp, produces large quantities of wheat, fruit, groudnuts, maize and cotton.
c) In the vicinity of Douglas, at the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers, vegetables and
cereal crops predominate
d) The province is also known for its production of wool, mohair, karakul, Karoo lamb, ostrich
meat and venison.
e) The Northern Cape is also a major exporter of dried fruit, table grapes, and meat, all of
which command premium prices in international markets and make a siginifcant
contribution to South Africa’s foreign exchange earnings.
According to Makiti Guides and Tours (2008), approximately 2% of the province is used for crop
farming, mainly under irrigation – Orange River Valley and Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme.
Approximately 96% of the land is used for stock farming, including beef cattle and sheep or goats,
as well as game farming.
The Northern Cape is enjoying a tremendous growth in value‐added activities, including game‐
farming. Food production and processing for the local and export market is also growing
significantly. The economy of a large part of the Northern Cape, the interior Karoo, depends on
sheep‐farming, while the kakakul‐pelt industry is one of the most important in the Gordonia
district of Upington. The province has fertile agricultural land, and in the Orange Valley, especially
at Upinton, Kakamas and Keimoes, grapes and fruits are cultivated intensively. Wheat, fruit,
peanuts, maize and cotton are produced at the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme near Warrenton 48 .
Agriculture’s contribution to regional gross domestic product (RGDP) was 8% in 2008, but the
effects of the global economic crisis have served to reduce this to some extent. With a large
number of people employed in the sector and the number of people dependent on subsistence
agriculture, this presented a major challenge, prompting the provincial government to intervene
to help poor rural people. The primary agricultural enterprises of the Northern Cape include the
following:
a) Livestock: The Northern Cape contributes to 3% of national cattle (beef) numbers, 25% of
national sheep numbers, 8% of national goat numbers and 2% of national pig numbers, and
it shows the importance of livestock farming in the Northern Cape.
b) Wine: The Northern Cape’s Orange River wine region accounts for 25.6% of South Africa’s
Colombard vines and 10% of Chenin Blanc. According to SA Wine Industry Statistics
(SAWIS), the Orange River region has 4.96% of the total hectares of grapes in South Africa,
and 3.49% of the total number of vines. Grapes are cultivated on a total of 794 farms along
the Orange River, comprising a total of 17 200 hectares.
c) Cotton: Of South Africa’s 97 148 bales of cotton (200kg each) produced in 2010/11, the
Northern Cape was responsible for 43 246 bales. This represented a 153% rise over the
previous season’s yields, according to Cotton SA. With 7 324 hectares under irrigation, the
province produces excellent yields. The biggest area for cotton cultivation is the Vaalharts
region.
48
http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/northern‐cape.htm ‐accessed on 12 August 2011.
Office of the Premier &
Department of Rural Development & Land Reform
125
Dennis Moss Partnership