Govt’s R10m investment in an apple juice project has potential to lift lives

It is said an apple a day keeps the doctor away. A little googling reveals the well-known saying is a variant of a proverb from 1866: “Eat an apple on going to bed and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”

Now, to take a large sideways leap and not sound like a Chappies wrapper, did you know South Africa is a net importer of apple juice concentrate?

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According to a statement released by the Presidency yesterday, SA imported about 70 million kilograms with a value of R1.3 billion in 2022. In our climate, with all the agricultural land available, we’re importing more than a billion rands’ worth of apple juice concentrate?

It really is money that could be put to better use – and not to toot anyone’s horn, some in government agree. An article on foodformzansi.com reported in January the Free State government was making “a significant commitment to apple production by investing R10 million in Stead Fruit Growers, in Bethlehem”.

“Teaming up with Remmoho Investment in Agriculture, their shared focus is on fostering economic growth and job creation in the region,” it reported.

Not too long ago, The Citizen reported on two citrus farms that were beneficiaries of a land distribution project, one which was excelling and one which had gone to ruin, thanks to infighting among the recipients.

It is exciting when projects of this kind take off. They show the potential available when we settle down and get on with the business of business.

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Make no mistake, there is a lot of money in apple juice. In 2022, China exported $462.2 million (about R8.6 billion), Poland $402.1m and Türkiye moved $339.1 of concentrate, according to tridge.com.

Yes, dollars, the number in rands would be excruciatingly long. Back to Stead Fruit Growers. The R10 million is a long-term investment, apples and the trees they grow on don’t pop up overnight and according to MEC of agriculture and rural development Saki Mokoena, the project will result in the region producing up to 180 000 tons of apples annually, which will bring a much-needed economic boost to the area.

At the moment, Stead has planted 12 hectares, and the cash injection will help the farm grow to 2 000 hectares “which would see over 4 000 jobs created”, reported foodformzansi.

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Stead farm will also be visited by Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, wearing his hat as chair of the inter-ministerial committee on land reform and agriculture.

So often, we hear of projects which have truly been run into the ground, or land claimants electing to accept money, instead of working the land they are owed, which leaves government with land it has no idea what to do with. We need to see more projects like this – a good news story which, honestly, we need far more of.

As always, there is a tinge of suspicion around the potential corruption, kickbacks and infighting have to destroy projects. It is in these cases government has to take a much firmer stance and remove people from broken projects that have seen people lose their chance at bettering their lives.

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People generally like being productive; we like being useful; we like making a contribution. A R10 million investment in an apple juice project might seem like a lot in a country where money is as sparse as water, but it has the potential to lift lives.

And in a country of ever-increasing trouble, news the doctor – in the shape of the Special Investigating Unit – is being kept away, is great news.