Mtshweni-Tsipane said Sasol donated the 300ha of land through a private-public partnership initiative. For this project, two cooperatives focused on a few projects, such as vegetable production, poultry farming, and piggery farming.
The project’s second phase is a solar manufacturing plant housed in the Agri-Park. The main vision is to turn the project into an Agri-Mall. Locals, particularly women, are the beneficiaries of the project.
Mtshweni-Tsipane applauded Sasol for partnering with the government in bettering lives in the community.
According to Mtshweni-Tisipane, the department said the project will include the construction of cannabis production facilities, aquaponics, a pack house, hemp and bamboo production, and monitoring boreholes and air quality testing facilities.
When the project began two years ago, it was said the farm would also have an administration, training and research facilities and an exhibition hall.
According to the department, cannabis production will be the core function of the Agri-Mall and the construction of the accredited facilities for licensed production, including the warehouse and internal sub-structure, mother, clone, vegetative growth, flowering, trimming, curing, storage, sampling and packaging rooms.
Establishing intensive fish and vegetable farming will also serve as a training and exhibition facility for local farmers and students, where they will have various growing techniques that include deep-water raft aquaponics, closed-loop aquaponics and flood and drain media beds. The department said Sasol will also play a strategic part and role in establishing a fertiliser incubation facility.
The department will conduct a topographic survey and geotechnical investigations for the establishment of a packing house that will create a link for the small-scale producers and cooperatives with the market (local, regional and international consumers) while improving the local supplies logistics. It will also serve local farmers in processing produce from the tunnels, shade nets, and aquaponics.
Mtshweni-Tsipane commended Sasol for its contribution to community development initiatives and said this public-private partnership between the government and Sasol is assisting the government to fight poverty and unemployment.
“Sasol BRIDGE TO WORK (BtW) assists to skill young people because it is an employability programme targeting the unemployed, focusing particularly on youth and women to assist them with critical skills which will enable them to either be employed or start their own businesses.
“We have women who were part of the programme and currently are running their own sewing businesses that supply Sasol with personal protective equipment,” said Mtshweni-Tsipane.
According to Sasol, the goal of the programme is to aid fence-line community members and affected Sasol employees to access meaningful work opportunities that can be converted into small businesses through structured development opportunities.
The Govan Mbeki Municipality executive mayor, Nhlakanipho Zuma, said the Agri-Mall is part of their Model City vision.
“When I first spoke about our 20230 vision of a Model City, some people took it as if I was joking, but now it is practical with these developments.
“Our next phase will be an industrial park also in Secunda, which will also create opportunities for our community,” said Zuma.
Source: Thepressradio.com|2024
