Eastern Cape Business 2017 edition
The 2017 edition of Eastern Cape Business is the 10th issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2006, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Eastern Cape Province. The Eastern Cape enjoys an abundance of natural and human resources, as well as established industrial infrastructure that drives the economy of the province. This includes three ports and two industrial development zones which are home to a wide range of manufacturers and exporters. The 2017 edition includes an in-depth look at the province’s two Industrial Development Zones, a focus on skills development and investment climate information from the Nelson Mandela Business Chamber and the Border-Kei Chamber of Business.
The 2017 edition of Eastern Cape Business is the 10th issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2006, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Eastern Cape Province. The Eastern Cape enjoys an abundance of natural and human resources, as well as established industrial infrastructure that drives the economy of the province. This includes three ports and two industrial development zones which are home to a wide range of manufacturers and exporters.
The 2017 edition includes an in-depth look at the province’s two Industrial Development Zones, a focus on skills development and investment climate information from the Nelson Mandela Business Chamber and the Border-Kei Chamber of Business.
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OVERVIEW<br />
strategy. RED hubs will supply<br />
tractors, harvesters and offer<br />
storage facilities and milling<br />
plants. There will also be opportunities<br />
for farmers to sell direct<br />
to members of their own community<br />
instead of shipping produce<br />
off to a distant location to<br />
be processed there. The first four<br />
hubs will be sited in the district<br />
municipalities of OR Tambo, Chris<br />
Hani and Alfred Nzo.<br />
The concept of agri-parks is<br />
also intended to support the addition<br />
of value to primary products:<br />
these have been developed<br />
at Lambasi, Ncorha, Sundays River<br />
Valley, Butterworth, Matatiele and<br />
Sterkspruit-Senqu.<br />
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Cape</strong> Development<br />
Corporation (ECDC)<br />
also has a role in supporting<br />
agriprocessing through loans and<br />
equity arrangements: projects that<br />
have received financial support include<br />
aquaculture, the production<br />
of dietary fibre from pineapples<br />
and bamboo products.<br />
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Cape</strong> provides<br />
approximately a quarter of South<br />
Africa’s milk, and the industry is<br />
further expanding as producers<br />
tend to favour high-rainfall coastal areas such as the <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Cape</strong>.<br />
With Clover recently acquiring Dairybelle’s milk assets, the province’s<br />
farmers mostly sell raw milk to two major processors: Parmalat and<br />
Clover. With the growth of the dairy sub-sector in recent years, a few<br />
independent processors have emerged. Small-scale dairy farming presents<br />
an opportunity to develop the industry in the former homeland<br />
areas, especially in a range of previously untapped products such as<br />
milk powder, speciality cheeses and long-life milk.<br />
Clover makes UHT/fresh milk in Port Elizabeth and Dairybelle manufactures<br />
natural cheese, processed cheese and speciality cheeses at its<br />
factory in Cookhouse near Somerset East. Ouma Rusks are still made in<br />
the small rural town where they were invented, Molteno, and current<br />
owner of the brand, Foodcorp, has increased production volumes.<br />
Cabdbury Chocolates operate a big site across the lake from the<br />
football stadium in Port Elizabeth and Nestlé makes 11 kinds of chocolate<br />
at its factory in East London. The Sasko mill in Port Elizabeth is the<br />
province’s only big milling plant.<br />
Coca-Cola Sabco and SAB Limited’s Ibhayi brewery are the major<br />
beverage manufacturers in Port Elizabeth and Distell has a bottling<br />
plant in the city.<br />
Sovereign Foods in Uitenhage is the country’s fourth-biggest producer<br />
of poultry and has been the target of a take-over by Country<br />
Birds for some time, but the process has been dragged out because<br />
Sovereign management do not want to sell.<br />
South Africa is the second-largest producer of chicory in the world.<br />
Chicory is grown primarily in the coastal areas around Alexandria<br />
between Port Elizabeth and Port Alfred. A drying plant has been<br />
established there and the dried chicory produced is sold to coffee<br />
manufacturers nationwide for local consumption.<br />
Sugar is grown on the northern border of the province, in North<br />
Pondoland.<br />
An opportunity for diversification in crop production exists with the<br />
aloe ferox plant, which is indigenous to the <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Cape</strong>. Like aloe vera,<br />
which is in demand worldwide in cosmetic and health products, aloe ferox<br />
is used for a wide range of skin conditions and various medical ailments.<br />
ONLINE RESOURCES<br />
Coega IDZ: www.coega.co.za<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Cape</strong> Rural Development Agency: www.ecrda.co.za<br />
East London Industrial Development Zone: www.elidz.co.za<br />
Nelson Mandela <strong>Business</strong> Chamber:<br />
www.nmbbusinesschamber.co.za<br />
Organic Agricultural Association of South Africa:<br />
www.organicsouthafrica.co.za<br />
Perishable Products Export Control Board: www.ppecb.com<br />
39 EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS <strong>2017</strong>
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