SPECIALITY INGREDIENTS
The beauty of moringa changes farmers’ lives
The Moringa Cooperative project is set to benefit 60 farmers from the Blouberg municipality in Limpopo. It is aimed at creating jobs, alleviating poverty and contributing towards the socioeconomic development of local communities. The power of uplifting communities
Africa of the Employment for Sustainable
Gregory Petersen, senior commercial
explains: ‘It is important from the
manager ESD, De Beers Consolidated
perspective GIZ that knowledge transfer
Mines, comments: ‘We are pleased to
occurs within the community. Over the
partner in this project because of the
course of the project, we will be re-
difference it is going to make to people in
enforcing this with multiple trainings,
our host communities, through capacity
workshops and mentorship support.’
Development in Africa Programme,
building and job creation. We are also looking forward to the future opportunities
A good plan for the future
of the project, such as shared learnings
The infrastructural phase of the project
and strategic partnerships.’
is currently underway, financed by the IDC, Old Mutual, De Beers Group and
Will Coetsee, MD, Botanica Natural Products, adds: ‘We designed this project to source better quality raw materials, which
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supported by Botanica Natural Products, to provide the participating farms with
The project aims to initially create 100 jobs for every 20 to our clients locally and hectares of Moringa trees globally. To date, we planted, with the intention to have imported Moringa grow in scale, potentially seeds and leaves without creating a total 300 jobs having full traceability of the by 2020. we can process and sell
One of the famers from the Blouberg municipality who will benefit from the project
products we process. Through the success of this project, we will be
fencing, soil preparation and effective irrigation systems. The first set of Moringa trees are expected to be planted by March 2019. ‘Old Mutual is an
organisation that is driven on the mutually beneficial shared
able to have high quality, fully traceable
value principle of operating as a
he project is a strategic
ingredients to process and sell. This is
responsible business and ensuring
collaborative partnership
also an opportunity for us to attract and
that our interventions are sustainable,
between the De Beers Group,
retain highly talented individuals from
impactful and beneficial to all involved.
Botanica Natural Products, the GIZ
surrounding communities. Employment
We are delighted to play our part in this
(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
opportunities in our communities are
collaborative and exciting venture with
Zusammenarbeit, which implements
limited. By creating a successful and
our partners and look forward to once
projects on behalf of the German Federal
lucrative supply chain, Botanica will
again demonstrating how through
Ministry of Economic Cooperation and
also be able to attract and retain better
partnerships, collaboration and the
Development), Old Mutual Limited and
equipped and qualified personnel.’
benefit of economies of scale can enable
T
the Industrial Development Corporation
Critical to the project is not just the
us all to Do Great Things Every Day,’ says
(IDC). Each of the partners is contributing
provision of financial or infrastructural
Dianne Richards, enterprise development
towards sustainable development support,
support but also the empowerment of
manager at Old Mutual Foundation.
infrastructure or funding.
the outgrowers through non-financial
Stephen Nel, senior local economic
support programmes. These include
development manager for IDC,
was established in November 2018. It is
a capacity building programme
comments: ‘The IDC is very excited local
made up of three cooperatives, each
facilitated by GIZ, as well as ‘train the
entrepreneurs now have the opportunity
consisting of 20 outgrowers, located within
trainer’ workshops hosted within local
to create job opportunities in their
three local traditional areas in Alldays,
communities. These workshops aim to
communities. This will most certainly lead
Blouberg. The participating cooperatives
equip the outgrowers with the necessary
to the social and economic upliftment of
are contracted to grow Moringa trees and
business development skills, acumen
their respective communities. Hopefully
supply the leaves and seeds to Botanica
and agricultural training required. The
the partnerships formed between
Natural Products, which produces
cooperatives will also be assigned a
Botanica, GIZ, De Beers and Old Mutual
organically certified and fairly traded
mentor from De Beers, who will coach
will create a model we can roll out in
active ingredients for cosmetics and
them on business and financial matters.
future to many other communities in need
A ground-breaking agricultural project
nutraceutical producers.
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| FEBRUARY 2019 | P C Review
Gavin Watson, project lead South
of such interventions.’ •
