Free State Business 2019 edition

OVERVIEW
reform process in recent months. Some 6 000ha has been allocated
to small-scale farmers and 500ha to farm dwellers. A land audit has
been done of all land belonging to state, provincial or municipal
authorities with the intention of providing land for black enterprises.
The provincial government wants to see more black commercial
farmers. One way of achieving this is to increase production volumes
of small-scale farmers.
Five agri-parks are planned in each of the Free State’s district municipalities.
The concept brings together farmers, traders and agriprocessors
(such as abattoirs) in convenient sites within each district
municipality. Support for rural smallholders will be available in terms
of equipment hire from a central source, storage facilities, packaging of
produce and getting products to market. Training will also be offered.
Agricultural assets
Agriculture makes up 4% of the Free State’s gross domestic product,
but the province’s efficient farming operations contributed a total of
10% of South Africa’s agricultural output.
The Free State has 32 000km² of cultivated land and a further
87 000km² of grazing land and natural veld. A summer-rainfall
region with a mean annual rainfall of 532mm, the Free State’s climate,
soil types and topography vary greatly within the province,
with plains in the west and mountains in the east. The western
and southern areas are semi-desert, with some Karoo vegetation
occurring in the south.
The province supplies significant proportions of the nation’s sorghum
(53%), sunflowers (45%), potatoes (33%), groundnuts (32%), dry
beans (26%), wool (24%) and almost all of its cherries (90%). Red meat
and dairy are other important products. Game hunting is a growing
sector, and several large Free State farms have been converted from
stock to game farms. Crop production represents about two thirds of
the province’s gross agricultural income. The main crops are maize
and wheat. Sunflowers, sunflower seeds, sorghum and soy beans
are other major crops. The Mangaung Fresh Produce Market plays
a vital role in the sector, catering as it does to householders, bulk
ONLINE RESOURCES
Agricultural Research Council: www.arc.agri.za
Bothaville: www.bothaville.info
Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development:
www.ard.fs.gov.za
Grain SA: www.grainsa.co.za
National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
www.daff.gov.za
buyers, informal traders, agents
and farmers.
The NAMPO Harvest Day
held in Bothaville every year is
one of the biggest agricultural
festivals and exhibitions of its
kind in the world. The annual
Farmer Patent Competition
is sponsored by Grain SA and
Omnia, the fertiliser company.
Bothaville is located in
the Lejweleputswa District
Municipality on the western
boundary of the Free State
with North West. So far west is
Bothaville that Senwes counts
it as part of its North West
region. The giant agricultural
company, with its headquarters
in the North West city of
Klerksdorp, has three separate
regions for the rest of the Free
State. The company deals with
no less than 20% of the country’s
oilseeds and grain through
its 68 silos.
VKB Agriculture, another of
the provinces large agricultural
companies, has invested heavily
in the Grain Field Chicken abattoir
in Reitz (together with the
broiler houses in Tweeling). The
IDC, which has a 23% stake in the
project, intends to help develop
the Free State as the poultry hub
of South Africa.
VKB’s headquarters are in
Reitz in the north-eastern part
of the province and the group
has nine brands in sectors such
as fuel, grains, animal feed and
foods. VKB has development
programmes with 51 emerging
commercial farmers in the province
and data on 140 developing
farmers.
31 FREE STATE BUSINESS 2019