The agro-processing sector could create up to a million new jobs by 2030, making it “crucial” to build local manufacturing capacity.
That was the message from deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who was uncompromising on the need for “radical economic transformation” for a new generation of black industrialists during his keynote address at the Black Business Council dinner in Johannesburg last night (Wednesday).
He pointed out that government intervention to boost the agro-processing sector in South Africa needed to include the expansion of irrigated land, higher levels of commercial production, and improved support for small-scale agriculture.
“South Africa, working together with other African countries, should develop the capacity to supply what these projects need,” Ramaphosa said.
