Western
Frontier Beef Beneficiation Project
The Western Frontier Beef Beneficiation Project was
conceptualized as one of the ASGISA (Accelerated and Shared
Growth) Projects spear-headed by our Deputy President, Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka, to assist in the economic development of the more
southern regions of the North West Province (especially Greater
Taung, Kagisano and Moshaweng in the Kgalagadi region of the N.
Cape). The project is driven by the Beef Beneficiation Task Team
consisting of role-players from relevant Provincial and Local
government agencies and private sector role-players. These
include Departments of Agriculture, Economic Development and
Tourism, SEDA (Small Enterprise Development Agency), Invest
North West, North West Development Agency, Bophirima District
Municipality, several local municipalities, Vryburg abattoir and
local commercial and emerging farmers associations.
In February 2006, Scientific Roets was appointed by SEDA-NW to
investigate the feasibility of a large scale mobilization of
resources to support and grow the red meat industry in the North
West Province. Through large scale farmer and role-player
participation it was determined that the natural resources, land
and skills required to transform the North West Province (and
especially the former “homelands” of this area) into the red
meat production hub of South Africa was indeed a viable and
exciting possibility. Innovative institution arrangements,
designed keeping the voiced concerns and constraints of both
emerging and commercial farmers in mind, were designed to give
effect to this vision of a “Red meat production and marketing
revolution” in the area.
Funding has now been secured by the Provincial Department of
Economic Development and Tourism to proceed with the
implementation phases of the proposed programme.
These activities include:
- Contractual and Financial
modeling (due diligence) x each section of value-chain
(Production Units, feedlots, auction facilities, abattoirs and
Full chain)
- Investigative visit to
similar integrated systems
- Establishment of Project
Office/desk to manage:
- Design and registration
of Central Co-operative or Company
- Clearly define Farmer
Placement Programme Guidelines and Principles and align
various government and other agencies with clear targets
and timeframes (for example: Build targets into Land
Reform targets, identify production infrastructure and
input needs for Mafisa funding etc.)
- Development of Producer's
Manual which will clearly articulate business concept, and
roles and responsibilities of producers - will include
Scenarios for Farmer Placement Programme beneficiaries,
Co-operatives, small independent farmers (to be used in
awareness creation exercises and development of contract
growers)
- Development of Mentorship
Programme (to be used to recruit, train and establish
Project commercial mentors and developing mentees)
- Launch Farmer Placement
Programme - Use the Producer's Manual as awareness
creation tool - will include Farmer Placement Programme
Guidelines and application forms - Introduce Farmer
Placement Programme to potential beneficiaries through
awareness creation exercises and other media
- Launch Co-operative
Identification and Development Initiative: Co-operative
education (choosing of co-operative leadership,
development of co-operative institutions, co-operative
business plans, registration of co-operatives, opening of
bank accounts, registration of Co-operative brands and
tattoos)
- Launch Mentorship
Programme
- Using applications
received from Farmer Placement Programme recruit and
assess learners (should be members of Red Meat
Co-operatives within the programme or interested
individuals from within the target areas of Kagisano or
Greater Taung)
- Registration of learners
for training in NQF 1 Animal Production
- Start of training of +/-
40 small farmers in NQF 1: Animal Production
- Identification of projects
sites, land surveys, geotechnical surveys (where required) and
Preliminary design
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