Citrus: a longterm vision for traditional communities

Thanks to a financial boost from various public and private entities, the Majeje Citrus company will be able to fully participate in one of South Africa’s most important agricultural industries within the next five years.

- Magda du Toit

FAST FACTS

The Majeje Tribal Authority is the de facto owner of the Majeje community’s 66 569ha near Phalaborwa, Limpopo.

The Majeje Citrus company was selected to participate in one of two agricultural development projects recently launched by Agri Enterprises and the Motsepe Foundation.

As part of the Majeje Citrus Development Project, 457ha will be planted to lemons, grapefruit and oranges.

n an effort to bolster the agriculture sector’s transformation efforts, the Motsepe Foundation and Agri SA, through its subsidiary Agri Enterprises, launched two pioneering

agricultural development projects earlier this year, one in Mpumalanga and the other in Limpopo.

As part of their objectives, these projects are aimed at rethinking development funding in order to accelerate inclusion in the sector.

Over the years, a number of promising agricultural projects around the country have been unable to secure adequate funding due to their lack of land tenure or ownership.

“Most of the land in the former homelands and communal property associations is owned by the state, and this cannot be collateralised,” says Omri van Zyl, CEO of Agri Enterprises.

In addition, many communities don’t have the necessary skills to develop commercial farming enterprises.

“The inability of these farmers to write proper business plans further exacerbates the problem. Banks and other financiers are reluctant to get involved in projects if the business plans are inadequate,” he adds.