Food & Beverages

A 2008 statistics south Africa report found that the food and beverages sector contributed 16.4% of total manufacturing production in South Africa, making it the largest of all the manufacturing subsectors.

It also contributed 17.9% of sales of manufactured products. Food and beverages in the Northern Cape The food and beverages sector in the Northern Cape makes up about 50% of total manufacturing production in the province.

Food and beverages is the dominant manufacturing sector in Upington, while in Kimberley that stage is shared with clothing, textiles and metals manufacturing. Factories in these regions tend to be small, employing an average of around 30 people per company.

The provincial government is working hard to facilitate job creation in the general manufacturing sector, but specifically in food and beverages through various incentives and initiatives supporting small businesses.

The agriculture sector in the Northern Cape drives the small and localised food and beverages sector. Cattle farming in the province has led to value-adding operations in the meat industry.

 A packaging plant in Upington has been developed to support the huge amounts of fresh produce in the region and a bottling plant has been established for natural spring water in the province.

Winemaking in the province The wine-farming region along the banks of the Orange River is among the most productive in South Africa. The region is the fourth-most productive region in terms of grape production in South Africa.

It is predominantly a white-grape area, but red varietals such as Merlot, Pinotage and Shiraz are also being planted. Despite its more renowned wine-making neighbour, the Western Cape, the Northern Cape’s wines are highly thought of locally and enjoy strong demand from international markets in Europe and elsewhere abroad.

Global impact One of the major concerns worldwide at the moment, and specific to the food and beverages sector, is rising food prices. The provincial MEC of Agriculture and Land Reform put it succinctly in her 2008 budget speech, when she said, ‘The age of cheap food seems to be over. ‘The fight against high food prices should be the collective responsibility of government and its partners,’ she added. ‘One of the long-term policy options being proposed will be to increase agricultural production in our country.’

 





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