Agriculture Karoo lamb
Agriculture Karoo lamb is officially protected. In October 2023 Karoo lamb was officially registered as a South African Geographical Indication (GI) in law. Another of the Northern Cape’s finest products, rooibos tea, won similar recognition from the EU in 2014 and in recent years South Africa has been working to protect its unique products. GI status allows for exclusivity and acts as an indication of quality. In this 2024 State of the Province Address, Premier Dr Zamani Saul outlined what had been achieved in the Northern Cape in terms of restoring land, much of it agricultural, to citizens denied rights and access to land under apartheid. In addition, tenure rights have been secured for the communities of Leliefontein, Concordia and Richtersveld through the Transformation of Certain Rural Areas Act (TRANCRAA). Speaking in February 2024, the Premier also reported that the most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by StatsSA showed that agriculture was one of the sectors that created the most jobs, 5 000. The unemployment rate for the Northern Cape remained the second lowest (26.9%) in the country. Occupying 36-million hectares, the Northern Cape is the largest province in the country, almost a third of South Africa’s total land area. Although the province is a predominantly semi-arid region, agriculture is a major component of the regional economy and the province’s farmers contribute 6.8% to South African agriculture. The agricultural sector also plays a vital role in the broader economy of the Northern Cape, employing about 45 000 people. This represents about 16% of employment, a much higher figure than the national figure of 5.5% Agricultural development takes place along defined corridors within the province. In the Orange River Valley, especially at Upington, Kakamas and Keimoes, grapes and fruit are cultivated intensively. High-value horticultural products such as table grapes, sultanas SECTOR INSIGHT Agriculture is creating jobs and wine grapes, dates, nuts, cotton, fodder and cereal crops are grown along the Orange River. Wheat, fruit, groundnuts, maize and cotton are grown in the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme in the vicinity of Hartswater and Jan Kempdorp. The Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme is one of the biggest systems of its kind in the world. Ranging over more than 30 000ha, it has transformed a semi-desert zone into a productive area that sustains cotton, wheat, LAND IN NUMBERS Restitution and redistribution since 1994 200 000 BENEFICIARIES R2.3-million HECTARES R4-billion BUDGET NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024/25 PHOTO: Dorper Sheep Breeders’ Society of South Africa
OVERVIEW maize, lucerne, citrus, peanuts, fruit, grapes, olives and pecan nuts. Vegetables and cereal crops are farmed at the confluence of the Vaal River and the Orange River in the vicinity of Douglas. Of the nearly 40-million 10kg bags of onions produced in South Africa (outside of linked production chains set up by supermarkets), about 10-million 10kg bags come from the Northern Cape. Wool, mohair, karakul, Karoo lamb, venison, ostrich meat and leather are farmed throughout most of the province. The province is second only to the Eastern Cape in terms of the number of sheep farmed and it is the fourth-largest wool-producing province based on annual sale of producer lots. The Beefmaster abattoir in Kimberley is one of three abattoirs in South Africa to export frozen beef to China. In 2024, the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform sought to give small-scale farmers better access to consumers through the creation of a Sol Plaatje Farmers Market. Held at the Galeshewe Circle, the aim was to bring backyard farmers together to create a platform for them to market and sell their agricultural produce. A variety of vegetables such as spinach, onions, chillies and seedlings (strawberries, green peppers) were on offer, while other entrepreneurs sold live chickens, eggs, raw honey and herbal products. An information sharing session was also run by department officials. Companies KLK, a karakul-pelt specialist based in Upington, also runs 19 retail outlets, several petrol stations, four Build it franchises and a strong auction division. KLK runs three abattoirs in Calvinia, Carnarvon and Upington that slaughter lamb and beef carcasses. KLK Petworld operates in Kathu. KLK became the ONLINE RESOURCES Agricultural Research Council: www.arc.agric.za Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform: www.daerl.ncpg.gov.za South African Rooibos Council: www.sarooibos.co.za 14 000 TONS PRODUCED Rooibos tea statistics 9 000 TONS EXPORTED 5 000 EMPLOYED 100% shareholder of Carpe Diem Raisins in 2023 and Senwes is now the majority shareholder in KLK. Senwes is one of the country’s biggest agri-companies and its Northern Cape area of operation is mostly around the Vaalharts irrigation area, which is close to the headquarters just over the provincial border in North West, at Klerksdorp. Storage and handling of grains and oilseeds are the speciality of Senwes. SA Dorper manages the production and export of dorper skins and the production of cattle hides. GWK is another company with its headquarters in the Northern Cape, in this case the town of Douglas. OVK controls the large Gariep abattoir at Strydenburg, which has a daily capacity of 1 300 sheep, 100 cattle and either 250 ostriches or 750 small game animals. OVK also has trade branches, vehicle dealerships, a finance division and manufacturing facilities for maize meal and wheat meal. Kaap Agri, a Western Cape company, has a significant presence in the Northern Cape and Namibia. ■ 33 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024/25
