Nestlé initiative to promote black dairy farmers

The project, named the Nestlé Emerging Farmer Initiative, will see collaboration on a range of initiatives, including attempts to access infrastructure such as electricity, water and roads, and steps to provide technical resources and enterprise development skills.

IDT CEO Thembi Nwedamutswu saiys: "The legacy of apartheid planning poses very serious challenges to the farmers. We aim to address that in a way which ensures sustainable development, and which is aligned to government's agricultural sector plan.

"We are excited at the potential this project presents for a meaningful public-private partnership and the contribution it will make to mainstreaming the second economy, in line with the demands of Asgisa.

"It is significant that Nestlé has already committed substantial resources to developing the farmers' ability to farm productively. It has provided basic infrastructure and skills, and has created access to markets, which are key ingredients for success. We now need to mobilise all stakeholders to ensure we service the farmers' infrastructure and resource needs, and to entrench the principle of people-centredness in development."

Nestlé South Africa's Chairman and MD Yves Manghardt says that Nestlé had consulted government and other stakeholders on the initiative, and had committed itself to "a meaningful public-private partnership, in line with our role as a responsible corporate citizen".

"The IDT is the ideal partner: it has 16 years' experience in development and an established track record in supporting clients and partners. Its key focus is to enable poor communities to have access to resources, and to unlock their potential to continuously improve the quality of their lives. That fits perfectly with the needs of the farmers and their families, and we look forward to the day when the farmers are able to compete with more established commercial dairy farmers."

He adds: "Nestlé has already committed financial and human resources to the initiative, to ensure that basic dairy farming infrastructure is put in place. The need for transformation of the agricultural economy is clear, and we are determined to use our resources and our leverage to facilitate this process."