Moringa project creates jobs
60 local farmers to grow businesses
Sixty farmers are set to benefit from a moringa cooperative project aimed at creating jobs, alleviating poverty and contributing towards socioeconomic development of the local communities in the Blouberg municipality in Limpopo. The project has been made possible through a strategic collaborative partnership involving the De Beers Group, Botanica Natural Products, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which implements projects on behalf of the German federal ministry of economic cooperation and development (BMZ), Old Mutual and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Each of the partners in the project will contribute either towards sustainable development support, infrastructure or funding.
The socioeconomic assessment of the area revealed in 2016 there was a need for empowerment in Blouberg municipality.
The project aims to create 100 jobs for every 20 hectares of moringa trees planted, potentially creating 300 jobs within the area by 2020. Managing director at Botanical Natural Products Will Coetsee says it has designed the project to source better quality raw materials which it can process and sell to clients locally and globally. “Through the success of this project, we will have high quality, fully traceable ingredients which we can process and sell,” Coetsee said.
He said this provided an opportunity to attract and retain highly talented individuals from the local communities. “Currently, the employment opportunities in our communities are limited. By creating a successful and lucrative supply chain, Botanica will be able to attract and retain better equipped and qualified personnel,” he said.
The infrastructural phase of the project is currently under way, financed by the IDC, Old Mutual, De Beers Group and supported by Botanica, to provide the participating farms with fencing, soil preparation and effective irrigation systems. The first set of moringa trees are expected to be planted in March 2019.