KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa
Sector
Agriculture & Agri-processing
The iLembe District Municipality has already announced plans to establish an agri-processing hub in the region, in order to better capitalise on the numerous agricultural opportunities available in the municipality.
With the establishment of the Dube Trade Port nearby, iLembe offers agricultural investors easy access to the busy Durban and Richards Bay ports, enabling produce to be sold locally, nationally and internationally.
The iLembe district has identified a series of key investment opportunities currently available, a selection of which are listed below.
Marketing of vegetables from small-scale farmers
This opportunity involves the establishment of a vegetable marketing channel linking small scale farmers to markets. The lack of good marketing infrastructure has a negative effect in the growth of this sub-sector.
Experience has shown in other parts of Africa and Asia that the provision of a good and an easily accessible market leads to great improvement in the production of agricultural products. The opportunity involves the establishment of a middleman operation between the farmers and markets.
Commercialisation of sub-tropical fruits
Studies conducted in Ndwedwe show that most homesteads have on average about six fruit trees per household. Though the primary objective of planting the fruit trees was mainly for domestic consumption, it has turned that most homesteads fail to absorb their production.
This means that there substantial amounts of mangos and avocadoes available for marketing. Although the quality of the crop needs to be improved to meet formal market requirements there are opportunities to supply to informal markets.
Linking of poultry producers with the poultry abbatoir
The Department of Agriculture & Environmental Affairs, the Department of Social Development, iLembe and Ndwedwe Municipalities have invested substantially into poultry projects in Ndwedwe and Maphumulo.
One of the main problems that these poultry projects experience is having access to a poultry abattoir, and an opportunity exists for the construction of poultry abattoirs along the borders of the municipalities that will open access to markets of the Ndwedwe poultry farmers.
Pineapple project
Most of the marginal agricultural lands under Ndwedwe Municipality are suitable for the production of pineapples.
This opportunity gives smallholder farmers and some medium and large scale commercial farmers an opportunity to produce pineapples for contract marketing. This project will be linked as one of the feeder projects to the Ezindlovini Agro-processing facility.
Essential Oils project (Rosemary, lavender and Thyme)
This opportunity will also feed into the Ezindlovini Agri-processing facility. Most parts of the rural hinterland areas of the district are suitable for Thyme and Rosemary while Lavender production could take place in some of the other areas in the municipality.
For more information on any of these, or other agricultural opportunities in iLembe, contact the iLembe District Municipality:
Contact: Mike Newton
Email: Mike.Newton@ilembe.gov.za
Tel: +27 32 437 9512
