By Lorraine Kearney
A R100 million investment in a cotton ginnery and growing operation on the Makhathini Flats, in north-east KwaZulu-Natal, came about because of foreign involvement, Narend Singh, the provincial minister of agriculture and environmental affairs, said at the Thursday night launch of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Development Trust. The minister is patron of the trust.
This was possible because of a Danish investment which would be a joint venture with a South African company, Noordelike Sentrale Katoen, and negotiations were far advanced.
The ginnery had already been bought for R30-million, and a business plan had been produced. Between 4 000ha and 6 000ha of cotton would be planted on previously undeveloped land controlled by the Nyawo Traditional Authority, with wheat as a winter crop.
"The Makhathini Flats have a history of small-scale cotton operations, the marginalising factor always having been distance from the ginnery," said Singh. "I am sure this project will cause a veritable explosion of outgrowing operations on the flats.
"The traditional authority is in favour of the project, and the trust has been approached for input. At the moment, the parties are setting up the modalities for consultation with the community and an organised outgrowing operation."
Singh said the trust had also funded a feasibility study of a cut-flower export industry in KwaZulu-Natal, which would share cargo space with vegetables and dried fruit in refrigerated non-stop airfreight flights to Europe from Durban. He said the trust had also been approached by an overseas individual interested in investing R80-million in hydroponics and fish farming projects near Durban, as well as by wine interests who were interested in establishing viticulture in the dry north-west region of the province.
The Makhathini Flats project would provide 79 permanent jobs and between 5 500 and 9 100 seasonal jobs.