OVERVIEW latter berry is difficult to grow but gets very good returns on the European market as fresh fruit. Swellendam produces 90% of the world’s commercially grown youngberries, a crop of about 600 tons per annum. Wheat is another of the province’s strong sectors: the Western Cape’s 310 000ha planted to wheat represents 64% of South Africa’s crop. Japan is a major destination of the province’s maize production. In canola, the Western Cape is even more dominant, with 99% of the nation’s hectares (StatsSA). The province’s climatic regions vary from Mediterranean around Cape Town and on the coast (where rainfall can be 2 000mm at places) to the drier regions of the inland Karoo districts where annual rainfall figures can be below 150mm. Just over threemillion hectares of the province is cultivated and 270 000ha are under irrigation. The sector supports almost 10 000 farms and employs 214 000 people. Farming carried out on the Western Cape’s 13-million hectares of agricultural land comprises approximately 21% of South African commercial agriculture. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape has identified agri-processing as one of the key sectors that can deliver high growth and lots of jobs, especially in rural areas. It could add up to 100 000 jobs and generate R26-billion for the economy under a high-growth scenario. The Western Cape Minister for Economic Opportunities Alan
Winde, whose ministry is responsible for agriculture, lists initiatives that can encourage that scenario: expansion of African imports; increasing the amount of land under irrigation to provide more input for agriprocessing; keeping up the surge in wine sales and investigating the halaal market. With a global market valued at about $2.3-trillion, a step towards preparing the Western Cape to compete in that market was made in 2017 with a small-scale conference on halaal exports. The Western Cape, as part of its Project Khulisa strategy, aims to double overall exports from the region by 2025.
Companies Zeder Investments is the agricultural arm of investment holding company PSG Group. Zeder controls Capespan, which has a turnover of R7.6-billion across three divisions: farms, logistics and fruit. Zeder is also a 39.6% shareholder in Kaap Agri Ltd. Kaap Agri has more than 200 operating points stretching from its headquarters in Malmesbury in the Swartland with eight business units covering everything from grain (Wesgraan), to packaging (Pakmark) and retail (Agrimark). Zeder also owns 27.2% of Pioneer Foods which makes and distributes many big food and drink brands across Southern Africa, including Weet-Bix, Liqui-Fruit, Ceres, Sasko and White Star. Caledon-based Overberg Agri is an unlisted company with a wide range of investments in several sectors, including mining, pet food and industrial fasteners. SSK (Sentraal Suid Ko-operasie) has outlets in the Overberg and in the Southern Cape as far east as George. SSK has increased its reach with the acquisition of Tuinroete Agri. The Klein Karoo group based in Oudtshoorn focusses on ostriches through Klein Karoo International. Separate units deal in fashion products, feathers, leather, skins and meat production. Other companies in the group cover seed sales, auctions and a retailer, Klein Karoo Agri.
ONLINE RESOURCES Agricultural Research Council: www.arc.agric.za Citrus Growers’ Association: www.cga.co.za HORTGRO: www.hortgro.co.za Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum: www.fpef.co.za Klein Karoo: www.kleinkaroo.com National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: www.daff.gov.za SA Grain Information Service: www.sagis.org.za Western Cape Department of Agriculture: www.elsenburg.com
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WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018