1. (a) (i) The Agri-Park initiative was started in 2015 with the development of a district wide Agri-Parks business plan that was signed off by the District Municipality in 2016.
(ii) The Agri-hub construction will start in the 2018/19 financial year; the fencing project is already approved and is at planning stage. A mechanisation centre is also planned for the 2018/19 financial year. The focus in the district has been on the establishment of the Farmer Production Support Unit (FPSUs) in Beaufort West and in Prince Albert.
(b) The support to the mayor is provided through the District Joint Operations Centre (DJOC), chaired by the District Municipal Manager. The DJOC meets monthly in the District. Several meetings with the mayor have taken place to apprise him of the progress as well as any issues and challenges that may exist.
2. An Agri-park is a conglomeration of various interventions at the level of an FPSU and the Agri-hub level; the table below shows the work that has commenced in terms of the Agri-Park.
Agri-Park (FPSU/Agri-hub intervention) |
Infrastructure |
Enterprise Development |
Haarlem FPSU |
Planning & design |
|
Suurbraak FPSU |
Planning & design |
|
Hermanus FPSU |
Planning & design |
|
Ebenaeser FPSU |
Planning & design |
|
Saron FPSU |
Planning & design |
|
Ceres Agri0hub |
|
|
Beaufort West FPSU |
Planning & design |
|
Prince Albert FPSU |
|
|
3. 492 small holder farmers will be benefiting from the projects in the province in the current financial year.