KwaZulu-Natal Business 2016-17 edition

OVERVIEW
produce jams and oils. Most of
the funding came from the KZN
Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development (KDARD) with
the national Department of Rural
Development and Land Reform
contributing a R5-million de-stoner
machine. Forty-nine areas will
supply primary stock to the plant.
Vegetables also grow well in
most areas, and some maize is
grown in the north-west. Nuts
such as pecan and macadamia
thrive. The province’s forests occur
mostly in the southern and
northern edges of the province.
TWK is a R6-billion operation
that originated in forestry
(as Transvaal Wattlegrowers
Co-operative) but which is now
a diverse agricultural company
with seven operating divisions. It
has 19 trade outlets in the province
and 21 in Swaziland and
Mpumalanga.
The coastal areas lend themselves
to sugar production and
fruit growing, with subtropical
fruits doing particularly well in the
north. KwaZulu-Natal produces
7% of South Africa’s citrus fruit.
The Coastal Farmers Co-operative
represents 1 400 farmers.
Eighteen percent of Kwa-
Zulu-Natal’s 6.5-million hectares
of agricultural land is arable and
the balance is suitable for the
rearing of livestock. Beef originates
mainly in the Highveld
and Midlands areas, with dairy
production being undertaken
in the Midlands and south. The
province produces 18% of South
Africa’s milk. The Orange Grove
Dairy Farm near Dundee has one
of the biggest pedigree Jersey
herds in the country.
KwaZulu-Natal’s subsistence farmers hold 1.5-million cattle,
which represents 55% of the provincial beef herd, and their goat
herds account for 74% of the province’s stock. The Midlands is also
home to some of the country’s finest racehorse stud farms. The area
around Camperdown is one of the country’s most important areas
for pig farming.
Upliftment and investment
A KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
initiative to help small farmers become commercial farmers has 3 483
participants and 122 communal estates have been registered as legal
entities. Another upliftment project will see R14-million spent on assisting
five small-grower collectives to become effective sugar-cane
farmers at Qoloqolo (uMzumbe Local Municipality).
Massmart, the retail group that has been bought by US giant
Walmart, will invest R15-million to 2017 in creating opportunities in
its food chain for emerging farmers. TechnoServe, a non-governmental
organisation, will oversee the programme.
A South African/Brazilian company called Silvapen is set to develop
an ethanol-from-sugar plant near Jozini on the Makhatini Flats. The
premier of the province announced that the project's value is R1.2-
billion and it could create 1 000 jobs.
Enterprise iLembe, the development arm of the iLembe District
Municipality, is looking for investors to further develop an agri-processing
hub that is taking shape near the King Shaka International
Airport and Dube TradePort.
KwaZulu-Natal has two colleges offering higher qualifications in
agriculture, Cedara in the Midlands and the Owen Sitole College of
Agriculture near Empangeni.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Citrus Growers’ Association: www.cga.co.za
Coastal Farmers Co-operative: www.coastals.co.za
Dry Beans Producers’ Organisation: www.beans.co.za
Fresh Produce Exporters Forum: www.fpef.co.za
KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union: www.kwanalu.co.za
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development: www.kzndard.gov.za
Milk Producers Organisation: www.mpo.co.za
National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
www.daff.gov.za
Royal Agricultural Society of Natal: www.royalshow.co.za
TWK: www.twkagri.com
63 KWAZULU-NATAL BUSINESS 2016/17