The Western Cape Minister of Agriculture Ivan Meyer visited the West Coast once again on Friday 25 February.
Accompanied by the Executive Mayor of Saldanha Bay, André Truter and the Executive Mayor of the West Coast District Municipality, Roelof Strydom, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s mobile Agri-Processing on Wheels Initiative was launched at the Genesis Hub in Vredenburg.
A first for South Africa, the Agri-Processing on Wheels Initiative consists of a mobile unit where meat and fruit and vegetable processing can be demonstrated to agri-preneurs.
Meyer said that currently, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture has an agri-processing facility based at Elsenburg, which cannot be easily accessed by those further away from Elsenburg.
Truter expressed the municipality’s appreciation to the Western Cape Department of Agriculture for launching the initiative on the West Coast.
“We are thankful to the department. Urban farming is becoming increasingly important. We are ready to support this agri-processing initiative and look forward to bringing more youth into the programme,” Truter said.
Louis Kuys from the Genesis Hub explained to those in attendance what the initiative means to them and more on what the Green Engine does at the hub.
Meyer added that this innovative mobile agri-processing initiative extends the basket of agri-processing services as it will enable officials to develop the agri-processing capacity in the Western Cape by offering demonstrations and workshops to interested groups across the Western Cape.
“The launch will be replicated in districts across the Western Cape as we bring the possibility of agri-processing and value-adding closer to our people,” Meyer concluded.
