Remier Mtshweni-Tsipane and MEC Busi Shiba inside the poultry house
By Kopano Dibakwane
The 1st phase of the Mpumalanga Agri-Park was officially handed over to two cooperatives in Secunda (Esperanza Coop and Zimisele Junior 7704 Coop) by Mpumalanga Premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane in collaboration with the MEC for the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs(DARDLEA), Busi Shiba, on 30 April, at SasolKraal Farm near Secunda in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality.
The Agri-Park is reportedly being developed on the 300 hectares of land that was donated by SASOL to DARDLEA in 2022 for the operation of agricultural activities.
The agreement between SASOL and DARDLEA was reportedly focused on bringing together the producer groups of various commodities and to provide access to marketing and conservation facilities for their produce.
Premier Mtshweni-Tsipane has thanked SASOL for the contribution of land as part of the private/public partnership initiative. She said that the Agri-Park will ultimately be a very huge project, which is expected to become a Agri-mall with multi facets of agricultural economic activities.
“ We are here to unveil the project and hand it over to the beneficiaries. We are going to the next phase where we will be partnering with SASOL in terms of a solar manufacturing plant. We are also looking into the planting of cannabis for medicinal purposes. The beneficiaries are local communities, particularly women,” said Mtshweni-Tsipane.
The 1st phase of the intervention by DARDLEA has reportedly resulted in the refurbishment of 6 poultry houses, two of which have been stocked with 2,500 chicks, also including a piggery house that boasts 20 sows and 2 boars.
SASOL Senior Vice President for Secunda Operations, Sipho Maseko, congratulated all the emerging farmers that are involved in the project. He added that the project will contribute towards food security, not only within the community, but also for the country at large.
“ As a company we are committed towards community development and this is testimony to that. We are excited to see that the land is being put to good use and we can see the results. We’ll continue to work with the government as the private sector to the benefit of our communities. The produce coming out of this project will be distributed to the markets to benefit the community and the country,” said Maseko.
Mtshweni-Tsipane has encouraged communities to start something on their own and the government will provide the necessary support to ensure that their initiatives succeed.
