Mpumalanga premier hands over Agri-Park in Secunda

Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane and MEC for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Busi Shiba, officially handed over the completed first phase of the Mpumalanga Agri-Park project to its beneficiaries at Sasolkraal in Secunda on May 2.

Mtshweni-Tsipane said Sasol donated the 300ha of land through a private-public partnership initiative. For this project, two cooperatives focused on a few projects, such as vegetable production, poultry farming, and piggery farming.

The project’s second phase is a solar manufacturing plant housed in the Agri-Park. The main vision is to turn the project into an Agri-Mall. Locals, particularly women, are the beneficiaries of the project.

Mtshweni-Tsipane applauded Sasol for partnering with the government in bettering lives in the community.

According to Mtshweni-Tisipane, the department said the project will include the construction of cannabis production facilities, aquaponics, a pack house, hemp and bamboo production, and monitoring boreholes and air quality testing facilities.

When the project began two years ago, it was said the farm would also have an administration, training and research facilities and an exhibition hall.

According to the department, cannabis production will be the core function of the Agri-Mall and the construction of the accredited facilities for licensed production, including the warehouse and internal sub-structure, mother, clone, vegetative growth, flowering, trimming, curing, storage, sampling and packaging rooms.

Establishing intensive fish and vegetable farming will also serve as a training and exhibition facility for local farmers and students, where they will have various growing techniques that include deep-water raft aquaponics, closed-loop aquaponics and flood and drain media beds. The department said Sasol will also play a strategic part and role in establishing a fertiliser incubation facility.

Read the full article on: Ridge Times