25 May Nut farmer’s cracking idea
25 May 2013 – Local community is sharing in benefits of macadamia project
RESIDENTS of Ncera village near Kidds Beach used the launch of the Ncera Macadamia Farm (NMF) on Thursday to honour managing director Wayne Simpson, whom they said is the brains behind the project.
Located outside East London, the community around the area stands to benefit from the farming project, which will see macadamia nuts being exported to various markets around the world.
Key players in the project include the TGK farming group, department of rural development and agrarian reform, Vulindlela Investment Trust (VIT) and Kula Development & Business Solutions, with each playing a different role.
At the official launch, Simpson was presented with traditional garments and dressed up in them.
The gesture is representative of Simpson becoming a member of the community and shows the community’s appreciation for his work.
The son of Trevor Simpson, TGK farming group CEO Simpson said they were farming around 100 hectares of land and hoped to expand in the future.
“This project has been good for the community of Ncera, and having worked with them from the beginning, I have to say I am very proud of the progress and development,” he said.
Simpson said to date, there were 90 permanent and 14 seasonal employees.
“We hope that when we acquire more land in the future, we can increase the number of employees to 300 or 400,” he said.
When the Saturday Dispatch arrived at the farm on Thursday, the first harvest was on display around a large marquee tent.
Zipo-Zenkosi Ncokazi, May 25, 2013