Mpumalanga Business 2019/20 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
Another global giant, Sappi, has invested Differences in temperature and rainfall between
heavily in the conversion of its massive Ngodwana the Highveld and Lowveld can be considerable.
Mpumalanga Mill (pictured), and other has 40% companies of South in Africa’s the paper forestry One resources. of the fastest growing agricultural sectors
and forestry field such as Mondi and York Timbers is macadamia nuts. SECTOR These are INSIGHT
This fact presents an opportunity to exploit the sector’s
cultivated in the
make large contributions the province’s
economic by-products growth.
in the biomass-to-energy field. Lowveld and are exported in ever-growing
The Focus on Forestry conference
will target digital
The Zebra Pellets plant in Sabie is to be
volumes.
converted
The Nelspruit district in the Lowveld
The restarting of the Evraz Highveld steel mill in is South Africa’s second biggest producer of
by national utility Eskom into a torrefied pellet plant. The wood will solutions.
2017 was particularly good news, after the company citrus fruit, while vegetables of all sorts do well
be provided to the plant (owned by the Industrial Development
went into business rescue two years before. in this area too.
Corporation) and then heated without the use of oxygen (torrefied) in 2019 by the Centre for the
ArcelorMittal South Africa continued supplying Large parts of the province are in the so-called
which
feedstock
creates
to
a coal-like
the mill and
product
in 2019
without
took up its
the
option
carbon.
Middleveld comprising
Modernisation
high-plateau
of
grasslands.
Forestry
Plans to purchase to develop the an mill. Agriculture The rest of and the Forestry mill complex Technology Forestry Park operations are Operations are found (CMO), in central the Institute and
being property, drawn up the by rebranded the Provincial Highveld Government Business of Park, Mpumalanga. south-eastern The Mpumalanga, for Commercial but Forestry the heart Research of this
Mpumalanga is now a thriving Economic mix Growth of engineering and Development concerns, Path important (MEGDP) industry (KZN is around University) Sabie in and the the east. Nelson The
intends manufacturers, to expand the distributors industrial base and commercial
of the provincial Mpumalanga economy, forestry Mandela sector University. is one of the most
with enterprises a focus on trading beneficiation, in an established agri-processing area with and important value chain
the country: Forestry 11% of accounts the total land for about area
development. excellent infrastructure and logistics links.
of Mpumalanga is 8% covered of Mpumalanga’s either by plantations gross or
When forestry managers, contractor and forestry natural equipment forests. Large domestic sugar operations product. The are found sector
suppliers gather at the biannual Focus on Forestry conference in the south-east in comprises of the province. logging, saw-milling,
White
Geography
River in 2019, the theme will be “Bridging the digital The divide province wood has excellent product roads and and pulp railway and
in the African forestry sector”.
connections and paper is well manufacture. served by airports, Pulp and
Sustainability
The Drakensberg
is a key
escarpment
area for
sharply
companies
divides
in
the
the forestry
airstrips
sector
and heliports.
paper
The
are
Kruger
the main
Mpumalanga
exports,
western grasslands at high altitude (Highveld) International Airport and Hoedspruit Airport are
and advances in the Internet of Things and AI are being keenly along with sawn lumber, wood
and the subtropical component to the east, the the province’s two main airports.
monitored for ways to enhance margins in an environmentally chips and wattle extract. Most
Lowveld. The central region of the province The Maputo Development Corridor is a
sound way.
sawn timber in South Africa is
is mountainous, with dramatic landscapes transportation corridor comprising road, rail,
The
presenting
conference,
exciting
which
vistas
also looks
for
at
visitors.
topics
The
such as
border
silviculture,
posts, port
used
and
in
terminal
the construction
facilities, running
sector.
fire management Lebombo Mountains and forest rise in the engineering, east. alternates from between Pretoria in Gauteng Mpumalanga through Mpumalanga has the ideal to
Mpumalanga The southern and KwaZulu-Natal and northern Highveld and will regions be jointly organised
produce large quantities of field crops such as
barley, soybeans, maize, grain and sorghum.
MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2018/19
38
Potatoes also flourish in this area.
Most of the province receives summer rainfall,
often via thunderstorms. Frost is common on the
Highveld but is almost absent in the subtropical
regions where fruit, nuts and citrus thrive.
the Port of Maputo climate in Mozambique. and topography The corridor for
supports high volumes of cross-border freight
services and aims to boost trade within and
beyond the region. Industry and tourism benefit
from the concentration of resources and ease
of transportation. This international initiative
emphasises Mpumalanga’s excellent location as
a logistics and transport hub.
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MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2019/20