R180-million investment for the North West

R180-million investment for the North West

Country Bird Holdings becomes one of the major employers in the province

While delivering his State of the Province Address (SOPA) in February this year, North West Premier, Honourable Kaobitsa Bushy Maape, stated that the province’s economy had taken a battering due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said one of the challenges the province was facing was that economic recovery in terms of GDP is not necessarily translating into proportional recovery in the number of jobs lost during the worst time of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that economic recovery is projected to be about 6% of GDP in 2021 and 1.9% in 2022.

“The unemployment rate in the North West currently stands at 35.7%, with youth unemployment at an all-time high of 63%. These levels of unemployment are described as a ticking time-bomb which requires different social partners to work together in finding lasting solutions.”

He added that they had been engaging with different sectors of the economy, in order to develop a common platform within which economic growth and job creation can be addressed.

“In the last month we engaged with the mining sector at the North West Mining Investment Conference. We interacted with the agricultural and tourism sectors, which are critical to the growth of the provincial economy.”

Premier Maape said for the 2022/23 financial year, they have, amongst others, set aside R11-million through their Agricultural Graduate Programme to train 120 unemployed graduates, who will be placed at various agricultural farms and enterprises across the province.

Now, a few months down the line, the provincial government has announced an investment of R180-million by a dynamic agricultural business operating in Africa, Country Bird Holdings. Established in 2003, this is one of the largest poultry and animal feed producers in Africa with operations in Botswana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The company’s Supreme plant in Tigane, Hartbeesfontein, has expanded its chicken production to around 35% creating over 100 direct jobs as part of its contribution to the poultry industry master plan.

This investment has further entrenched the company as the majority employer in the area, ramping up economic activity that involves over 2 000 employees.

Country Bird Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer, Brendon de Boer, stated that this investment is a part of a broader plan by Supreme to align its strategy with new market opportunities and demands. “We are shifting down from about fifty percent of the output being individually quick-frozen portions to fifteen percent, using the freed capacity to deliver fresh product, which is in great demand from clients including the quick-service restaurant sector. The increased capacity also brings down the production cost per unit, allowing us to produce more affordable chicken, and servicing a wider market. The new facility will be able to process a million chickens a week,” he said.

Sharing his sentiments, Premier Maape said the provincial government is on the right track in attracting investments in the province. He said they plan to do everything in their power to create a conducive environment for business to thrive.

He added that investment has the potential to unlock various opportunities that the province can offer and will go a long way in creating jobs and fight the scourge of unemployment and poverty afflicting the province.

“The opening of the plant represents progress in the province particularly as we try to resuscitate the provincial economy. The province has suffered enormous shocks due to the pandemic and we are excited that companies like Country Bird see the North West as a viable destination for investments. “We are working hard to address a number of service delivery challenges confronting the province. We are doing this to assure the private sector that we can work hand in glove with them to bring business to our province and create jobs,’’ he said.

According to the provincial government, the Tigane plant will also deliver the raw material for the company’s new processing plant in Germiston. They said the expansion along with the increased production of the company’s Germiston plant represents a significant contribution to the poultry sector’s commitment to increase capacity and job opportunities in line with the Poultry Sector Master lan.

The company boasts of a proactive path in ensuring and maintaining compliance to the new Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment codes for agriculture in South Africa (agriBEE) with their Nutri operations achieving a Level 7 compliance, and Supreme a Level 6, mostly on the back of skills and enterprise development initiatives. •

Sources: www.premier.nwpg.gov.za www.gov.za www.cbh.co.za