Pretoria - The launch of the Dursots & All Joy Tomato Processing Plant in Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo, will help farmers to grow their business.
The R100-million investment plant was launched by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies on Monday.
Tomato farmer Rachel Maphoto said the plant will help her to grow her business. Maphoto, who previously planted two hectares of tomatoes, now plants six hectares, which has translated into more jobs for the community.
Job creation
Speaking at the launch, Minister Davies said agro-processing is an important sector in the South African economy, particularly in job creation, as it pushes South Africa closer to its goal of having more value-added products.
The Dursots & All Joy plant currently employs 70 people, with 200 more jobs for locals to be created in the next two months.
With the launch of the processing plant, the company will create over 300 jobs by the end of the year, said Founder of All Joy Foods Marci Pather.
He said the company will source 15 000 tons of tomatoes from 14 emerging farmers, creating much needed jobs.
The importance of agro-processing
The launch of the plant follows the recent launch of the 8th iteration of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), which acknowledges the importance of the agro-processing sector in realising value-added growth and efforts to support labour-intensive sectors of the economy.
A report quoted by the Minister stated that in 2014, South Africa’s agro-processing industry contributed R78 billion to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employed 362 000 people.
From 2004 to 2014, agro-processing grew at 1.9% per year and from 2008 to 2014, employment grew by 57 000, despite a contraction in employment in the manufacturing sector as a whole.
Dursots Food Corporation is one of the leading organically-grown food manufacturing businesses in South Africa, producing a wide range of canned vegetables and legumes, peanut butter, sauces and condiments, mayonnaise, bottled water and tomato paste.
The investment is further favoured by Limpopo’s warm climate that provides a suitable environment for tomato production. The group is committed to using more than 90% of all its raw materials and packaging from South African producers, ensuring consistent quality, natural taste and reliable supply.
Minister Davies described the plant as a good example of the industrialisation objectives of building manufacturing capacity, job creation, local procurement and support to small, micro and medium enterprises.
The Minister praised the work done by companies such as Dursots and All Joy, saying their work contributes positively to the country’s strong agro-processing industry. – SAnews.gov.za
