With a large number of manufactured products originating from resources supplied by the agricultural sector, the agri-processing sector is fundamentally part of the agricultural value chain.

Provincial Strategic Goal Number one of the Western Cape Government is to create opportunities for growth and jobs. To do this, the Western Cape Cabinet commissioned Project Khulisa, an initiative focused on the province’s economic mandate, with the purpose of identifying areas of the economy with the greatest potential for accelerated, sustained growth and job creation for the period 2014-2019. One of the identified sectors identified in this process was agricultural (agri) processing. It comes as no surprise as this sector has also been identified recently in influential policy documents such as the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), the New Growth Plan (NGP) and the National Development Plan (NDP) for its potential to create jobs and economic growth. The agri-processing sector contributes to economic development in two ways; directly as a source of income and employment and indirectly through its backward linkages with primary agriculture. There are therefore strong multiplier effects associated with growth in this sector across the various value-chains.

Continue reading about the agri-processing sector in the Agri Processing Report: Opportunities for Growth and Employment in the Western Cape

Primary agri-processing takes place on farms, while secondary agri-processing is conducted “off site” from where the agricultural inputs are produced.

Western Cape Department of Agriculture Agro-Processing Support sub-program

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture oversees and supports primary agri-processors. The Agro-Processing Support sub-program enables agricultural producers to enter into the value-adding activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The aims of this sub-programme are to facilitate the production of new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and thereby increase producers’ incomes. The role of the sub-programme is to create an enabling environment for the development of the agri-processing capacity in the Western Cape in order to create a vibrant rural economy. The Sub-programme, through the Agrihub located at Elsenburg, provides support on a broad range of services, including but not limited to, the following:

• Encouraging downstream beneficiation of agricultural products through new product development and existing product improvement;
• Compliance support with regards to food safety and quality;
• Product analysis and testing;
• Technical advice on procurement of agro-processing equipment;
• Facilitate agro-processing funding related applications
• Capacity building on various agro-processing initiatives

To find out more, contact Londiwe Thabethe at 021 808 7733 or LondiweT@elsenburg.com

Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism Agri-processing Team

The Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism oversees and supports secondary agri-processors. They can be contacted at 021 483 9226.

Resources efficiency information for agri-processors:

• Water
• Energy