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HO TH T E P OF kwazulu-natal has F R ES all the necessary S elements to compete globally
edtea Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
PROVINCE OF KWAZULU-NATAL
KZN Export Week 2014 • 17-20 November 2014
MESSAGE FROM MEC MICHAEL MABUYAKHULU
Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
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he production of exports is critical for foreign exchange earnings, business growth and job creation, and we believe - no, we know - that the province of KwaZulu-Natal has all of the necessary ingredients to transform its economy into a world-beater. From policy perspective to infrastructure, all the elements necessary for economic growth are in place. It is now up to the role-players and stakeholders to ensure that we utilise this confluence of favourable factors to build an economy to benefit everyone. The rest of Africa happens to be the largest, and a massive, untapped market. There are more than a billion consumers up there, and if local business-
es don’t take advantage of this growing market, they will be overtaken and left behind by other countries, which are already establishing themselves on the continent. We need to make hay while the sun shines. Exporting is tough, initially. Ironing out the processes, establishing a market elsewhere, enduring the rigorous channels necessary to set up the operation, all require time, energy, funds and perseverance. But in the end, it is worth it. This annual Export Week seminar, of which we are very proud here in KwaZulu-Natal, and which has become an important date on the city’s business diary, is designed to educate and create awareness of the export industry, as well as establish linkages for potential and existing exporters and industries. We can no longer afford to sit back and sell to the man next door. The time has come to expand, to look beyond our Indian Ocean horizon or our mountain ranges, to markets that will boost our economy and help create a sustainable future for our province and our people. We have enormous infrastructural advantages in this province. KwaZulu-Natal has the honour of being home to South Africa’s second largest economy, and situated on the important east coast, we also have two of Africa’s major
seaports: Durban, which is Africa’s busiest port and leading Southern Hemisphere container terminal, and Richards Bay, recognised as South Africa’s largest deep-water harbour and primary bulk commodities handling facility. The city is also very proud of the thriving Dube TradePort project, the heart of a budding aerotropolis developing around King Shaka International Airport. We live in an age of intense globalisation, and increasingly, countries around the world are competing more and more robustly for a greater slice of the market to grow their economies. Regions which strive to become fast and agile places in which to do business and which display superior connectivity will most certainly attract new and additional investment, so becoming commercial success stories into the future. We have high hopes for our aerotropolis, and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has mandated Dube TradePort Corporation to aggressively pursue an air services and route development strategy. We understand that hard infrastructure is critical to building a functional and efficient region, so providing an efficient, well-planned region with adequate road and rail connectivity, both for passengers
as well as freight, has become critical to its development. The public sector development of such transport infrastructure along Aerotropolis KwaZulu-Natal’s spine will result in enhanced levels of investment, opening the door to extensive new business opportunities for the region and its people. Air carriage is also a facilitator. A case in point of a seamless relationship between business and air freight is Carmel Nurseries, which is growing cut flowers within Dube AgriZone. The project is inclusive of a recent commitment to grow the Thai Tulip, a tropical plant native to northern Thailand. The Thai Tulips grown in one of Dube AgriZone’s greenhouses were to meet a first interna-
tional contract obligation. This involved the growth, to exacting standards, and export, of some 30,000 flowers to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, every week between October and March, this being the Dutch off-season. This international export illustrates not only the interest in developing the region and the level of demand already evident, but the ability of role players to work together for a common goal: the initiation of a climate conducive for investment, business development and product export, like our Thai Tulips, all of which will lead to the expansion and growth of KwaZulu-Natal’s regional economy. Ladies and gentlemen, our economies and our businesses can bloom just as beautifully if we all make a concerted effort to plant our export potential roots just as deeply and then watch them flourish!