Mpumalanga premier forges ties in Longnan, China

The Citizen

2 days ago

The Mpumalanga premier, Mandla Ndlovu, and his entourage went on a high-level outbound investment mission to the People's Republic of China to visit the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
From June 14 to 23, Ndlovu led a delegation comprising the MEC for agriculture, Nompumelelo Hlophe; the director-general, Maggie Skhosana; the head of the Department of Agriculture, Cain Chunda; and other senior officials from the Departments of Agriculture and Treasury.
During this high-level mission, Ndlovu signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Longnan Municipality in China.
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A statement released by the Mpumalanga Office of the Premier on Wednesday, June 18, stated that the MoU focuses on industrial collaboration, agricultural co-operation, infrastructure development, cultural and tourism promotion, as well as talent identification and development exchanges, among other areas. This partnership aligns with the outcomes of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation Summit.
A focus of agreements signed at a national level is bilateral trade and market access, which seeks to expand and diversify trade between the two countries – including the facilitation of market access for South African agricultural products into China.
'As Mpumalanga we are responding to the vision of our president, Cyril Ramaphosa, when he signed this agreement. Through the MoU we entered into, we are defining a series of action plans and interventions to bring to life the accelerated access of trade to and from Mpumalanga and Longnan Municipality.
'This will be realised through the operationalisation of the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market (MIFPM) which will benefit, among others, farmers from previously disadvantaged communities and our people,' said Ndlovu.
The visit further focused on other economic activities aimed at improving the provincial economy and reducing the unemployment rate.
Longnan Municipality's executive vice mayor, Li Rong, said that with the MoU signed, it is hoped this will not only be a beginning, but an expectation to set a new example for the in-depth and solid development of bilateral co-operation.
'Longnan will henceforth be your home in China. The relationship between China and South Africa is not just a win-win situation, but one of complementary advantages to create shared value together. It is hoped that this will be the beginning of a 'family + partner' relationship between the two sides,' said Rong.
Among other sites, the delegation visited the one million hectare Oliver Orchard – a high-value crop farm that explores opportunities across the agricultural value chain. The farm focuses on research, training, production and the agro-processing of olives for consumption. These include dried and fresh olives, olive oils, olive whisky, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals used in the treatment of conditions such as cancer and diabetes.
According to Ndlovu, Mpumalanga stands to benefit from such an industry – not only through olive imports, but also by twinning local olive farmers with the Longnan market leader and implementing similar farming and agro-processing methods.
'This initiative has the potential to stimulate agro-entrepreneurship, which will in turn strengthen Mpumalanga's economy while helping to reduce the high unemployment rate, particularly among the youth,' said Ndlovu.
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The delegation also visited the Zhejiang University's Integrated Industry-Academia-Research Institute in Tianjin. The institute conducts research across various industries and leads in the prevention, early detection and treatment of chronic illnesses and cancer.
'They use traditional medicine, some of which is plant-based, and also develop modern 'western' medicine. We are also continuing to engage with other businesses in China to explore partnership opportunities,' Ndlovu added.
On January 14, Ndlovu undertook the first leg of the mission to China to establish co-operation with major players in the food and logistics industries for the MIFPM, which is not yet operational.
Ndlovu announced an April soft launch of the MIFPM during the State of the Province Address in February. Although the launch date was missed, the provincial Department of Agriculture's spokesperson, Zanele Shabangu, said the MIFPM will be launched by the end of July.
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