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Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

  • Text
  • Development
  • Leda
  • Nedbank
  • Mutual
  • Exxaro
  • Beers
  • Investment
  • Business
  • Limpopo
  • Polokwane
  • Economic
  • Provincial
  • Province
  • Mining
  • Municipality
  • Sector
  • Tourism
  • Venetia
  • Edition
A unique guide to business and investment in Limpopo. Limpopo Business 2017/18 is the ninth edition of this highly successful publication that has, since its launch in 2007, established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Limpopo Province. This edition of Limpopo Business is officially endorsed by the Office of the Premier of Limpopo. This book contains detailed insights into the plans of the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) and the recently launched bus rapid transport system for the provincial capital, Leeto la Polokwane, together with a comprehensive register of all provincial government and municipal contact details. Investment news related to mining, telecommunications and tourism is carried in overviews of all the main economic sectors. To complement the extensive distribution of the print edition of the magazine, the publication is also available online at www.limpopobusiness.co.za.

OVERVIEW Agriculture The

OVERVIEW Agriculture The strong agri-processing sector still has massive potential to grow in Limpopo. Agriculture has been identified as a key driver of the regional economy by the Provincial Government of Limpopo. Agriprocessing in particular is being targeted as a means of increasing the levels of manufacturing in the province. The percentage contribution of Limpopo agriculture to national agriculture is 7.6% although its contribution to provincial GDP is just 2.3%. Agri-processing has enormous potential to expand in every sub-sector. The establishment of agri-parks and co-operatives and support for youth in taking to farming are among the key initiatives that provincial government is implementing in support of these goals. The agricultural riches of the province are well known and its fruits and vegetables form an important part of South Africa’s export basket. Companies like ZZ2 are major contributors to the country’s annual production of 120 000 tons of avocadoes. Of the current crop, SECTOR INSIGHT Thousands of hectares are being planted with avocadoes and macadamias. • Agri-parks will help emerging farmers. • The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is investing in citrus farming. about half is currently produced in two Limpopo regions, Letaba and Tzaneen. Exports to the US LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18 42

OVERVIEW and Europe, which constitute almost all of South Africa’s foreign market for avocadoes, are rising exponentially. In response to this demand, and the potential of the Chinese market, almost 1 000ha per year of new land is being planted with avocadoes in South Africa. The same amount of new macadamia planting is under way every year, according to the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association (SAMAC), adding to the existing 19 000ha. The other two really big sellers are mangoes and tomatoes. Limpopo grows three-quarters of South Africa’s mangoes and twothirds of its tomatoes. The Waterberg District produces large quantities of red meat, Capricorn has potatoes in abundance, Vhembe in the north specialises in citrus and subtropical fruits, Mopani has those fruits too – and the Mopani worm. The Sekhukhune region in the south-east is a grain-producing area. One of the best-known products of the region is Amarula cream liqueur. Initiatives Five Agri-parks will be established in Limpopo, as part of the R2-billion plan of the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to roll out services that will help farmers get better access to market and storage facilities. Support in terms of equipment hire and information will be available. Markets where farmers can sell their produce and processing plants such as abattoirs will form part of the parks and farmers will gain access to market information and bigger markets through the Rural Urban Marketing Centre. Training will also be on offer at the parks and the aim is to get local farmers owning 70% of the facility. The University of Venda and the University of Limpopo are working on research into crop and seed improvements, particularly related to climate change adaptation. The provincial government gave support to 3 000 households to produce their own food in their backyard gardens during the 2016/17 financial year and hopes to increase this number to over 5 000 households. The Ilima/Letsema conditional grant, which strives to improve productivity of emerging farmers in Limpopo, disbursed funds to 47 projects benefiting a total of 2 333 beneficiaries. A total of 680 farmers were assisted in gaining access to markets. In the 2017/18 financial year, the Ilima/Letsema grant total of R67-million will support 90 projects, 15 538 emerging farmers: 2 718 smallholder farmers, 12 791 subsistence farmers and 29 black commercial farmers. Other programmes were badly affected by drought conditions, the Fetsa Tlala programme, for example, having to be scaled back to work only with farming areas with enough irrigation water. Having come through the long-term drought in the early months of 2017, Limpopo and several other northern provinces then had to deal with the effects of the Fall Army Worm. It was detected early and strong measures were taken to mitigate its effect. The Phethwane Integrated Aquaculture Project stalled after a bright start in 2011, but a Fishery Imbizo held at the Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture in Marble Hall aimed to resuscitate the project. The national Deputy Minister of Agriculture visited the project in late 2015 and encouraged local fishers to aim to supply 500 tons of fish. Iran was mentioned as a potential market for the fish. The Tompi Seleka College is itself in the spotlight, having been reopened in 2015. Together with Madzivhandila College (in the Thula- Thula Municipality in Vhembe District), enrolment has increased from 140 in 2015 to 222 in 2016. Limpopo is trying to grow its own farmers. Location Limpopo’s location gives it a strategic advantage in terms of providing fresh produce to Gauteng, the densely urbanised economic centre of South Africa. Within Limpopo, the Mooketsi Market has used its central position to boost trade in farming produce. The market is at the crossroads of two busy routes: Polokwane to Giyani (R81) and Tzaneen to Louis Trichardt (R36-N1). 43 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18

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