Food Producers & Processors

Introduction

Companies in the food processing industry take raw agricultural products (such as grains) and turn them into the food products that we eat everyday (like bread and cereal). 

The food processing industry in the Eastern Cape comes out of the province’s rich agricultural base. Its warm climate and irrigable land are used to grow a wide range of temperate and tropical crops, with great potential for expansion. Production of food products include dairy, grain, and meat.
 

The food producers and processors are mainly situated in the major towns within the province, with some in small towns like Cookhouse. 

Transport Mode 

The industry uses the road as well as the rail to move their goods. On the road, the trucks used vary across the commodity being transported. These include rigids, articulated and interlinks that distribute within the Eastern Cape Province, as well as nationally for some commodities. The rail freight is controlled by the only rail company in the country, Transnet. 

Volumes – Annual Tonnages 

Due to the lack of provincial statistics in this industry, no estimates were made for the annual volumes, but from sampling a handful of companies within the province, it showed that the industry produced a minimum of 25 000 tons.

 

Issues  

Some of the issues currently being experienced are: 

·          Limit of the railway capacity 

·          Poor conditions of the road