In early August, Japanese Cape MEC for Agriculture Nonceba Kontsiwe formally handed over a completely geared up rural abattoir valued at over R5 million to native enterprise Man Purchase & Braai in Sterkstroom.
Photograph: Provided
The transfer is about to bolster agro-processing, create jobs, and stimulate financial exercise within the surrounding rural farming communities.
“That is precisely the form of empowerment I all the time advocate for supporting people and households who’ve proven capability, resilience, and fortitude. This handover is not only symbolic; it affirms [the Department of Agriculture’s] perception on this enterprise’s potential to develop, maintain itself, and contribute meaningfully to the native financial system,” Kontsiwe advised Farmer’s Weekly.
She added that the abattoir, known as Man Rural Abattoir, was able to processing 72 sheep and 12 to fifteen cattle per day. It was designed to assist native farmers whereas enabling Man Purchase & Braai – a family-run enterprise since 1997 – to satisfy rising shopper demand.
It additionally allowed for future enlargement, a necessity in a province the place rural producers struggled to entry formal markets.
In line with Kontsiwe, Sterkstroom, although wealthy in agricultural exercise, suffered from excessive unemployment and poverty. As soon as totally operational, the newly handed-over facility would immediately make use of 13 folks, with extra downstream employment alternatives by way of Man Purchase & Braai shops and casual commerce like meat hawking.
She added that the power was a strategic piece within the province’s broader battle towards meals insecurity.
“We face a nationwide disaster. The [National Food and Nutrition Security Survey] exhibits that 20% of households in our province are severely meals insecure, regardless of 67% of them accessing land, as solely 37% of that land is productively used,” she defined.
Native farmer Phandelani Mazwayi, who attended the occasion, mentioned the abattoir marked a turning level for the district’s producers.
“This can be a once-in-a-lifetime alternative. We’re now in a position to minimize transport prices by promoting [livestock] close by as an alternative of [having to take the animals] to Queenstown or East London. With this abattoir, we’ll be capable of see revenue margins enhance and meet native demand, which permits us to reinvest and develop.
“[Sterkstroom] is surrounded by farms, and most jobs are agriculture-based. So, initiatives like this empower not simply the abattoir however the native folks and farmers, too. It’s a really huge step ahead,” he mentioned.
Kontsiwe concluded that, as authorities ramped up its Japanese Cape Meals and Diet Safety Plan, the Sterkstroom abattoir would function a mannequin for inclusive rural growth by linking smallholder farmers to formal markets, decreasing meals prices, and growing entry to native protein sources.
