The Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, will launch an essential oils project at KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, on Friday, 20 September 2013. The project is co-funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the European Union (EU) under the EU-South Africa Science, Technology and Innovation Programme for Poverty Alleviation.
The project is part of the DST's portfolio of programmes aimed at supporting interventions that contribute to the DST's policy and strategy of using science and technology solutions for reducing poverty through job creation, small and medium enterprise development, economic growth and improvement of quality of life.
The KwaNobuhle initiative is part the government's attempt to bring new agri-businesses and value chains into being, following the study conducted by the National Economic Development and Labour Council Fund for Research into Industrial Development, Growth and Equity on essential oils, which identified South Africa's top 20 oils for commercialisation.
It therefore represents the start of an essential oils production cluster based on the leaves and new shoots of a cross-bred rose-scented geranium cultivar, Pelargonium cv. Rosé.
Conducted on a farm; the project is being expanded from 12 to 30 ha so that it can produce 900 kg of oil a year at a ratio of 20 ha:50 kg of oil. It also features an essential oils processing factory, with sufficient capacity to process essential oil plants from nearby farms, and it could act as a catalyst for other agricultural initiatives.
Currently, 31 full-time employees are involved in the project, and human capital is developed in various ways. For example, the site supervisor and distillation facility operators have gained valuable managerial, administration, horticultural and processing experience in carrying out the project. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is the implementing agency.
All media are welcome to attend.
