Full details of a R1bn incentive scheme to raise-up the South African agro-processing industry were revealed today at Africa’s Big 7.

The plan, unveiled first at the country’s 2017 budget, aims to boost productivity, create jobs and modernise both agricultural machinery and the production process.

The Honourable Rob Davies, Minister for the Department of Trade and Industry – who toured the expo – outlined how the plan will work and its areas of focus.

“This incentive programme is aimed at strengthening an area which has been identified as one which offers the fastest growing job opportunities and also to create demand for new agricultural activity,” said the Hon. Rob Davies.

Grants of up to R20m are available from today (Tuesday June 27) for those who want to take up the offer.

The Government has identified five specific areas it wants to incentivise. These are food and beverage, furniture, as well as fibre, food and fertiliser production.

The Hon. Rob Davies said that the scheme will benefit across the industry, assisting growers, those who process resources and finally firms that package and distribute them – so allowing more of the industry’s value chain to be kept within South Africa.

Incentive grants have been available in the past for both the generic economy and individual areas of commerce.

The minister said: “We have concluded that better results were obtained when incentives were sector specific.

“A good example of this is the textiles industry where under a similar scheme the initial take-up was quite slow, but those who did take part saw jobs being kept and (staffing levels) increased. This is now a vibrant part of the economy and is acting as a role model for the current scheme.”

The title of the initiative is the Agro-Processing Support Scheme (APSS) and full details are available on the website www.dti.gov.za.

“Events such as this will create awareness of the APSS, and how it is available to stimulate the creation of jobs,” said the Hon. Rob Davies.

Following his keynote address the minister visited exhibitor stands at the event.

He spoke to Thandile Ngcoyi of the Green Fingers Multipurpose Co-operative, a company which grows, harvests, processes and bottles tomato and beetroot to create sauces.

“The scene is very interesting and we shall be applying as we only have a small plot and want to expand,” she said. “This will enable us to create job opportunities and explain how we operate in order to allow others to establish their own businesses.”

You can discover more about the expo and its conference the Food Forum programme at www.africabig7.com and also register for show and conference passes.

Press information

The 15^th edition of Africa’s Big 7 (AB7) runs from June 25-27 at The Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the continent’s largest food and beverage industry trade expo. Its seven specialised sectors cover everything from fresh produce and ingredients to manufacturing technologies, processing and packaging equipment, retail ready products, hospitality and catering equipment and much more. For more information visitwww.africabig7.com

The rebranded AB7, and The Food Forum conference, is co-located with SAITEX 2017 – Africa’s largest retail product sourcing event – and The Hotel Show Africa 2017, one of the world’s most successful hospitality event brands, at The Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, from June 25 to 27, to make up Retail & Hospitality Week Africa 2017.

Africa’s Big 7, was acquired in 2016 by dmg ems Africa events, part of dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT).

dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa was founded in 1989 and has operated in the Middle East since 1995 and owns some the region’s biggest shows including The Hotel Show and The Big 5. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE and with satellite offices in India, South Africa and the UK, dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa organises more than 45 events across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America and Europe. The events attract more than 250,000 customers every year and provide opportunities for trade professionals to do business, network and learn. For more information visit www.dmgeventsme.com

DMGT manages a balanced multinational portfolio of entrepreneurial companies, with total revenues of almost $3bn, that provide a diverse range of businesses and consumers with compelling information, analysis, insight, news and entertainment. The company employs more than 10,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. DMGT aims to provide the highest quality information, insight and services to attractive growth markets in innovative ways, building on a track record of earnings and dividend growth. For more information visit www.dmgt.com
For further information, please contact:
Gary Wright, 
Head of PR & Comms, dmg-ems Africa
E: [email protected]
T: +27 (0) 11 783 7250
W: www.dmgeventsme.com 
A: P O Box 650302 BENMORE 2010, South Africa