As part of government’s efforts to fight the scourge of job losses and unemployment, eThekwini Municipality bought the Cato Ridge Chicken Farm near Hammarsdale. THE City’s Economic Development and Planning Committee has given the green light to reprioritise over R2 million to fund the refurbishment of chicken houses at the Cato Ridge AgriPark. This is part of the implementation of the City’s Agribusiness Masterplan adopted by Council in 2020. This is a 10-year strategic plan that seeks to unlock new investment in the Agribusiness value-chain of no less than R1 billion.
Presenting to the committee, Agri-Business Senior Manager for Business Development and Production Nkululeko Hlongwane said an assessment indicated the need to improve the production capacity and efficiency of the existing chicken production houses. “This will ensure that each production unit can accommodate 25 000 broiler flock per cycle.” She added that this improvement will facilitate the Cato Ridge AgriPark Incubator Farm to realise its commercial potential by yielding a minimum of 250 000 broiler chickens per cycle being produced in the farm.
This translates to an estimated income of R102 million per annum that could be generated by the farm. Economic Development and Planning Committee Chairperson Councillor Thembo Ntuli said: “This committee’s key objective is to facilitate inclusive economic development and job creation.” He said the Cato Ridge AgriPark Incubator broiler chicken production has unlocked commercial economic opportunities for local agriSMMEs to participate in the commercial production of broiler chicken and the meat value chain. There are seven businesses occupying Cato Ridge chicken houses which have created about 17 long-term jobs.