27 November 2023
By: Joy January
A new cassava initiative, Project White Gold, has been introduced in northern KwaZulu-Natal to grow the local economy and promote social transformation.
The project was unveiled by Zin Mabaso and Markus Froelich, the founders of AVCO Foods. According to a statement, the company’s vision is to achieve large-scale transformation by unlocking the potential of Africa’s food value chains. Strategic partnerships can enable investors, food processors and public institutions to add value to local and global markets.
Project White Gold aims to establish a cassava industry in South Africa that spans cultivation, processing and distribution. Its purpose is to create a sustainable and economically viable value chain in one of the region’s most impoverished districts.
Creating a thriving cassava industry
With a target of up to 10 000 hectares for cassava cultivation and the processing of tapioca starch, this project could supply the local market and replace up to 20 000 tons of imported tapioca starch.
However, Mabaso says AVCO Foods’ ambition is economic and social transformation. “Project White Gold brings economic and social transformation to the rural communities of northern KwaZulu-Natal. By establishing cassava production on this land, the project will bring life to the community, while the local economy is estimated to grow by R900 million per year.”
Transformation through localisation
By localising the farming and processing of cassava, the project will achieve large-scale social and economic transformation in uMkhanyakude, KZN’s second-poorest district.
The project will use regenerative agricultural practices and cassava will be processed in a factory operating on green energy and generating no waste. An agricultural training centre will support subsistence farmers as they become commercial farmers.
“We believe that South Africa, through the local production and processing of cassava, can not only reduce its dependence on the import of tapioca starch but also play a powerful role in the world market,” says Froehlich.
AVCO Foods says local communities, subsistence farmers and tribal authorities are playing an integral role in decision-making processes and the establishment of the project.
“This local cassava value chain will provide market access for subsistence farmers, employment opportunities for women and youth and training for producers,” says Mabaso.
“By investing in communities’ capacities, providing economic opportunities and fostering a sense of ownership, the project empowers communities to actively participate in and benefit from the cassava industry.”
