OVERVIEW
Aquaculture Fish from the Karoo will soon be a popular dish.
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nvestment in local infrastructure at the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) is focussed on localising fin fish farming technology. In 2017/18, an amount of R15-million was set aside by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government for this purpose. The Science and Technology Park at the ELIDZ could also become the site of a marine sector incubation programme to foster interest in the Oceans Economy among young people and entrepreneurs. INMED South Africa, a non-profit organisation devoted to better health and nutrition for children, in partnership with the Mondelēz International Foundation, launched a R37-million commercial-scale aquaponic system on the Missionvale campus of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2017. A total of 116 schools will benefit from the project. Waste water will be used to irrigate vegetables and used again to top up the fish tanks once the nutrients have been absorbed by the plants. Aquaponics Innovations produces red tilapia and catfish from its aquaponics tunnel in Grahamstown. “Karoo Catch” is the brand name for freshwater fish produced by Blue Karoo Trust, a project taking shape near the town of Graaff-Reinet. A central farm will be supported by 39 outgrowers and the aim is to produce about 14 000 tons of fish annually. The intended market is organisations that need protein in bulk such as hospitals, schools and government institutions. The risk capital unit of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) is supporting the venture. Aquaculture is an important part of the South African govern-
ONLINE RESOURCES Aquaculture Association of South Africa: www.aasa-aqua.co.za Aquaculture Development and Enhancement Programme: www.thedti.gov.za Coega IDZ: www.coega.co.za East London Industrial Development Zone: www.elidz.co.za Operation Phakisa: www.operationphakisa.gov.za South African International Maritime Institute: www.saimi.co.za South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity: www.saiab.ac.za
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SECTOR INSIGHT The provincial government is investing in fish-farming technology. ment’s Operation Phakisa strategy. The intention is to increase the aquaculture sector’s revenue from about half a billion rand, to R1.4-billion in 2019. Pure Ocean Aquaculture and Ocean Wise are located within the East London IDZ. At Zone 10 in the Coega IDZ, 250ha has been set aside for fresh fish farming and 100ha for marine farming. A processing plant and research and development and training facilities are planned. T he Co ega Development Corporation estimates that 34 250 tons of abalone, Dusky Kob and seaweed could be harvested. The National Department of Science and Technology (DST) is working with Irvin & Johnson in running a marine finfish growout pilot in Algoa Bay. A programme of the Department of Trade and Industry, the Aquaculture Development and Enhancement Programme (ADEP), offers a reimbursable grant up to R40-million.
EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018