Durban - eThekwini Municipality councillors have called on the food and hospitality businesses in the city to source some of their food supplies from agri-businesses that are supported through the city’s agricultural initiatives.
Last week members of the eThekwini Executive Committee visited projects with farming related activities that are being supported by the municipality.
The aim was to assess progress made thus far in the projects and to see how the projects can be further supported to stimulate more economic growth.
The councillors visited an Agri-Park Incubator at Cato Ridge, which is home to a chicken broiler farm and sheep farming operation, and in Cottonlands they visited an Agri-Park Incubator which has an egg production facility, vegetable tunnel farms and veggies agro-processing facility.
ANC councillor Thanduxolo Sabelo said he had been impressed with the projects.
He told the delegates at the Township and Rural Investment Summit gathered in Inanda on Wednesday that the farm that was producing eggs will now be producing more than 2500 eggs daily and he wanted businesses to support the farm.
“Everyone eats breakfast and breakfast has eggs, I want to see those eggs being consumed here at the (Octavia) hotel.”
DA councillor Thabani Mthethwa said he had also been impressed by the work of the co-operatives.
“The co-ops are doing good work. What concerned me is that it did not seem like the members of the co-op have been able to employ more people. When we return for a visit, I would like to see the co-ops having grown to employ more members of the public,” said Mthethwa.