"There is an agreement among African ministers of trade and industry that for Africa's industrialisation to become a reality, we need to promote value addition and industrialisation of our agricultural products," Davies said at the opening of the Kuvusa maize mill in Durban.
The mill formed part of the industrial policy action plan small-scale maize milling initiative. With the initiative the department sought to reduce the cost of maize meal in South Africa by at least 20%.
"With a large sector of the country's population living on very low incomes, a commodity price increase would be devastating," said Davies.
Localised production would help ensure the country's food security, he said.
Twenty-seven direct and 120 indirect jobs had already been created as a result of the mill's establishment.
Davies said maize produced at the mill would be sold at below prevailing market rates, introducing competition into a market that had a history of uncompetitive practices and where price increases hurt the poor.
Source: Sapa via I-Net Bridge
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
