By Nonduduzo Ngcongo
In 2018, the eThekwini Municipality made a bold decision to purchase farms previously owned by Rainbow Chicken when the former owners had to retrench workers due to their operational restructuring.
Today, the farm is now a model of transformation and growth.
Situated in Cato Ridge, outside of Durban,the Cato Ridge Poultry farm has made impressive strides in economic development, turning challenges into opportunities for job creation, business growth, and agricultural innovation.
The farm began operations with a single business in 2020.
Fast forward to today, and Cato Ridge is home to seven thriving businesses, producing over 120 000 birds per cycle—an increase from just 45 000 birds in its early days.
It has a target of manufacturing 250 000 birds per cycle. This expansion is a testament to the success of the municipality's R6 million investment to the farm’s infrastructure to ensure ongoing functionality.
In the current 2024/25 financial year, an additional R10 million has been allocated to further upgrade the farm, with a focus on enhancing operations and expanding capacity.
This upgrade, which began in July this year, includes the installation of power backup systems, additional heaters, air cooling systems, and the introduction of a low-throughput abattoir capable of slaughtering 500 birds per day.
These improvements are underway and are set to be completed by June 2025.
"We're not just building infrastructure. We are building opportunities," said Councillor Thembo Ntuli who is the City’s Economic Development and Planning Committee Chairperson.
He underscored the importance of this project to the municipality's long-term Agri-Business Masterplan, which aims to create thousands of jobs by 2030.
"The number of jobs created by operating businesses is around 20 permanent and 60 temporary jobs, which indicates that we're on the right track. This is aligned with our goals of economic growth and job creation,” said Ntuli.
The farm's collaborative approach with Camperdown Poultry (Pty) Ltd has also proven successful in providing abattoir services, fostering a more inclusive and sustainable business ecosystem.
Isukile Co-operatives
Nonhle Mdunge, Chairperson of Isukile Co-operatives, is one of the farm's first tenants. She shared her gratitude for the support from the municipality.
"When we were displaced by layoffs by our previous employer, the city welcomed us. Now our business is growing stronger every day and we supply markets across the region."
Similar sentiments were shared by Nathi Tembe of Ngwanase Chicks who previously operated from home.
"We started with just 5 000 chickens per cycle, and now we produce 28 000 chickens per cycle. The farm's proximity to local markets has been a game-changer,” he said.
In addition to boosting poultry production, the farm's waste management system is another innovative feature. The compost generated is donated to local farmers to support vegetable production, reinforcing the municipality’s commitment to sustainable farming practices.
This success story is part of a broader municipal effort to foster agri-business growth with other initiatives like the Cottonlands Agri-Park Incubator and the Ottawa Agri-Park Incubator, both who are continuing to make strides.
Combined, these incubators, which includes the Cato Ridge Agri-Park Incubator, have created over 2 000 direct and indirect jobs. - SAnews.gov.za
*Nonduduzo Ngcongo is a Senior Communications Officer for the eThekwini Municipality.
