The Tshwane Fresh Produce Market came under the spotlight during the recent two-day Tshwane agriculture and agro-processing workshop in the city, where participants highlighted the need to improve its operations.
The market was previously said to be serving approximately 6 800 producers locally and neighbouring countries at any given trading day.
Two years ago, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ordered the City of Tshwane to fulfil its official duties by implementing a precinct plan for the maintenance of its produce market at a cost of R18 million.
That was after the Institute of Market Agents of South Africa approached the court, claiming it had for years been liaising with the City to address “the critically dysfunctional state” of the market without success.
The order was, however, made despite the metro already allocating a budget of R18m for the 2022/23 financial year towards the maintenance and upgrading of the market.
MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management, Ziyanda Zwane, said the workshop participants deliberated on the strategic direction, priorities and key actions that can be pursued by the Tshwane agriculture and agro-processing sector given the global and national outlook, opportunities, available resources and vision.
“The discussions culminated in packaging different programmes to take advantage of implementable quick wins,” he said.
Among these solutions, he said, were improving the operations of the City’s produce market, including “providing services, infrastructure maintenance and support that are pertinent in creation and running of an efficient fresh produce trading platform that offers excellent facilities and services”.
The workshop was held under the theme ‘food security and agricultural production’, which was in the context of Tshwane’s rural development.
Stakeholders in attendance were from academia, research, organised agriculture, farming and civil society, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tshwane Economic Development Agency and Agri-Gauteng.
PricewaterhouseCoopers illustrated global impacts and local trends in view of the agricultural sector and Tshwane in particular.
Zwane said the CSIR provided an overview of the transformative technologies to develop South Africa’s agricultural sector.
On the other hand, the University of Pretoria shared research results on the importance of street traders and their contribution to food and nutrition security.
Zwane said: “The national Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development provided progress updates on the implementation of the agriculture and agro-processing master plan to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation, reduce poverty and the high cost of living, and build an ethical and capable state.”
Pretoria News
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za