Powered by The Jobs Fund, Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) has launched the Economic Transformation of Black Citrus Growers Programme. The aim of the programme is to create 1,726 permanent and seasonal jobs in the citrus industry especially for people who live in rural areas.
Last year the CGA submitted an application to the Jobs Fund for a project that would make funding and technical support available to black citrus growers for orchard establishment, expansion and rehabilitation, as well as on-farm development of various infrastructure including packhouses, bulk-water supply and irrigation systems.
The application was approved and the Jobs Fund committed R118m to the project, with the Land Bank contributing an additional R116m in loan funding. The CGA has contributed R24m, while the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and AGRISETA have pledged R34m and R12m, respectively.
“The Jobs Fund’s participation will enable the CGA to increase the pool of black citrus growers, who will be given the necessary resources to ensure that they expand their operations and become sustainable. The revolving loan component will ensure the programme’s continued ability to reach more growers post the Jobs Fund’s involvement,” said Najwah Allie-Edries, Head of the Jobs Fund.
The citrus-inspired programme has appointed Lima Rural Development as the programme manager and will be implemented over three years in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, North West and KwaZulu-Natal. The Citrus Academy will provide skills development support, which is compulsory for all programme beneficiaries, while the CGA Grower Development Company (CGA-GDC) will be the implementation agent for the programme.
“We know Covid-19 poses many risks to the agriculture sector, in particular to smaller-scale and developing farmers who already face financial challenges. We believe the Economic Transformation of Black Citrus Growers Programme will help mitigate the impact of the pandemic and make a major contribution to one of the CGA’s and government’s main objectives, which is to grow the volume, value and level of participation of black citrus growers in the industry,” said Justin Chadwick, CEO of CGA
