Address by the Honourable MEC GNJ Shushu at the Launch of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) Developing Poultry Farmers Organisation (DPFO) in the Northern Cape

17 April 2012

9h00

Eldorado Hotel, Kuruman

Programme Director,
The Executive Mayor of John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality Mme Mosikare
The Executive Mayor of Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality Rre Gibson Anthony
Traditional Leaders present,
Representatives from various NGOs
Members of the Poultry Industry present,
Officials of the South African Poultry Association,
Officials of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development
Ladies and Gentleman,


The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) was established more than 100 years, in 1904 in Kimberley, mainly as a body of poultry “fanciers” to co-ordinate and promote the holding of shows and later to stage egg laying tests, and to provide an instrument to voice the feelings of the industry.

Historically, poultry has always been part of the South African agricultural and economic sphere.  Thousands of people have kept poultry and continue to do so and it is in some instances seen as backyard industry.  Of the largest units kept, between two and four thousand birds were kept under extreme conditions .  Therefore, poultry clubs consisted of people from all walks of life who considered poultry also as a hobby.  

A number of poultry clubs were in existence, arranging competitions and shows.  The main functions of the South African Poultry Association then would be the composition and formulation of show rules and regulating the appointment of judges.

A South African Poultry Breeders Register was established in 1926, and in 1936 assurance was given that Government would definitely recognize SAPA as the representative organization of the industry.  At SAPA’s request, the Egg Control Board was established in 1951.  

The Development Poultry Farmers Organization (DPFO) is a division of SAPA established in 2003 to cater for the specific needs and requirements of developing poultry producers from previously disadvantaged communities, to finally move into the mainstream of the economy. Its aim is to assist the developing farmers to enter the main stream commercial poultry industry. It plays a capacity building and advocacy role by mobilizing resources available through government and the donor community.

This launch today is a culmination of a process that started in November 2011, which is a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the South African Poultry Association to mobilize up and coming poultry farmers in the province to get organized.

According SAPA’s records out of a total of 50 poultry projects in the NC only 3 had affiliated with SAPA as at November 2011. To date, 30 projects have affiliated. There is continuous engagement with the remaining 20 to get organized so they could also benefit from this important structure.  

The Development Poultry Farmers Organisation should also be seen as a platform where developing farmers must share ideas and experiences. It should also expose these farmers to the poultry industry locally, regionally and internationally and give them insight on all aspects of the value chain, such as poultry breeds, equipments, medications, feeds, processing and markets.

We believe that this is a good step in the right direction in an effort to transform the poultry industry in an effort to ensure economic viability and to also ensure the security of the supply of food. This initiative should also seek to assist in addressing the challenge of unemployment that continues to ravage our country and the Northern Cape is no exception. This approach should assist us in our quest to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015 and our Government’s objective of creating decent jobs.

This initiative will also assist our Department in the achievement of Outcome 7 that speaks about the need to support small holder farmer’s in order to allow them to graduate to become commercial farmers within the industry.   

The poultry industry is a significant player within the agricultural sector, in 2010 it accounted for R22, 940 billion from poultry meat and R6, 658 billion from eggs, this therefore indicates the significant amount that the poultry industry brings into our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (DAFF 2010). This industry is one of the largest segments within the South African Agricultural sector and should thus be taken very seriously. In 2010 it accounted for 23% of all agricultural production and 45% of all animal products in rand terms, the cattle and calves industry came second to this. This must therefore signal the importance of this industry within the sector and the launch of the Poultry Association today should act as a locomotive to propel us to better heights.

Program Director, according to the National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the poultry industry provides 62,2% of locally produced animal protein consumed in South Africa on a kilogram basis. In 2010, the poultry industry supplies which included imports were as follows:

•    1, 6 million tons of poultry meat
•    446 720 tons of eggs and egg products

It is becoming increasingly clear that more poultry products are being consumed on an annual basis than all other animal protein sources combined.  The per capita consumption of poultry meat in 2010 was 32, 96 kg per person per annum and for eggs was 8, 48 kg, a combined per capita consumption of 41, 44 kg per person per annum.  It is therefore important that organizations such as the South African Poultry Association become better organized in the Northern Cape in order to be able to better serve the industry and by extension the consumers within our Province. The importance of developing the poultry industry in the Northern Cape can thus not be over emphasised.  


Ladies and Gentlemen, the development of the poultry in the Northern Cape is not at its peak and together we can work to significantly improve this industry. From the 50 poultry projects in our Province, 38 are broiler producers and 12 are layers. Of the 38 broilers 5 are large scale producers while 32 are on a smaller scale. On the layers’ side, 2 are large scale and 10 are small scale. 80% of these projects were facilitated and supported by the democratic government.  The Municipality has also made a significant contribution, particularly the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality.
Break down of projects are as follows:

District    Poultry project    Farmers
JT Gaetsewe    35    92
Pixley Ka Seme    2    13
Siyanda    3    13
Namakwa    3    9
Frances Baard    7    28
Total     50    155

The John Taolo Gaetsewe District has a larger number of projects, hence our decision to launch this structure in the district.

This launch takes place at a time when we as government, both Provincial and National, we are embarking on a Zero Hunger programme that aims to guarantee the basic human right of access to adequate food. The overall objective is to combat hunger and its structural causes, which continues to perpetuate inequality and social exclusion. This can only be achieved through your involvement and contribution.

Ladies and Gentlemen, poultry production, processing and marketing is one of the key focus areas in the implementation of the Northern Cape’s Zero Hunger programme. Therefore this structure will serve as a support link to enable smallholder farmers to produce optimally, both quantitatively and qualitatively and link them to domestic and foreign markets.

Program Director, the launch of this structure should not just be a ceremonial event, but something that must propel the industry to achieve unity and enhance collaboration between all stakeholders towards the achievement of a common objective of fighting food insecurity, unemployment and underdevelopment. I wish to take this opportunity to wish you well in your deliberations and a successful program.

I THANK YOU

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