Durban - President Jacob Zuma says he is impressed by developments at the Dube Trade Port, namely in the areas of agriculture and food security.
The President officially launched the Dube Trade Port on Thursday.
Prior to the launch on Thursday morning, Zuma joined by national ministers, visited the Agrizone site which is one of many projects that have been completed in the past 22 months - the Cargo Terminal, the Trade House, the Trade Zone, Dube City infrastructure and the IT and Telecommunications platform are the others.
"I am impressed by the developments. The focus on agriculture and food security in this airport city is a very progressive step. The advantage of the Agrizone is the use of limited growing space for the production of high volumes of high quality produce.
"As this project demonstrates, there is real scope for growth and finding new markets for the produce, including exports. Other than improving food security, agriculture is an important source of exports," said Zuma.
For Zuma, this launch was a special occasion because he pioneered the construction of the Dube Trade Port and King Shaka International Airport during his days as the provincial MEC for Economic Development.
The Dube Trade Port Corporation - a state owned enterprise - is in a position to boost economic development and job creation. The construction phase alone generated close to 20 000 jobs in each of the past two years.
Government looks at its strategic airports to help promote the African Agenda by opening up new routes or expanding. Zuma, therefore, welcomed SA Express's decision to identify Durban as a base in which to grow its footprint into the SADC region.
SA Express has concluded an agreement with the Dube Trade Port Corporation, which will see a connection of King Shaka airport to the region, especially to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique.
There are also plans for SA Express to expand into countries such as Namibia, Malawi, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"There can only be positive results from this strategic move. You will recall ... that there is a major African Union move to develop a continental free trade zone.
"Three regions alone - SADC, the East African Community and COMESA - bring together about 600 million people. Added to this, Africa provides a market of one billion people. The focus on our continent is therefore a step in the right direction in terms of the country's strategic goals," Zuma said.
The President said the King Shaka Airport, officially opened ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, must aggressively market itself as a key entry point for international routes and attract various international carriers to Durban via additional bilateral air service agreements.
Passenger traffic at the airport has been steadily growing since its move from the old Durban International Airport.
"It is anticipated that the airport's passenger traffic for the 2012 financial year will surpass the five million mark."
Premier Zweli Mkhize said the King Shaka International Airport had resulted in the province being a preferred destination for conferencing, tourism and leisure.
"The new Dube Trade Port will greatly expand the capacity of KwaZulu-Natal to import and export goods. The principal component of the Dube Trade Port is a new international passenger and cargo airport, but it is the new facility's proximity to the harbours of Durban and Richards Bay that give it the edge as a transport and logistics hub," said Mkhize.
With its strategic location between the two largest seaports in the southern hemisphere - Durban and Richards Bay - the Dube Trade Port will contribute to key economic objectives in the province.
"The Trade Port is also set to be Southern Africa's premier logistics platform, given that the Port of Durban provides connectivity to 53 international destinations and access to local distribution networks," said Zuma.
The Dube Trade port will form an important part of the pipeline of development projects, one of which is the improvement of the movement of goods and economic integration through a Durban-Free State-Gauteng logistics and industrial corridor.
"This project is intended to connect the major economic centres of Gauteng and Durban/Pinetown, and at the same time, link these centres with an improved export capacity through our sea-ports and improved railway lines.
"We expect this corridor to also stimulate growth in the KZN Midlands, a major agricultural and industrial region through which this route will pass," said Zuma.
After the launch, Zuma joined the Dube family to unveil a statue of the ANC's founding president John Langalibalele Dube, at the Dube Trade Port offices.
