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Honeybush tea

23 February 2025 Media Release: Successful Demonstration of Honeybush Retort is good news for Garden Route wild harvesters and small-scale farmers

Media Release: Successful Demonstration of Honeybush Retort is good news for Garden Route wild harvesters and small-scale farmers23 February 2025

23 February 2025

Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning recently congratulated the different entities that worked together to make progress with a project to support emerging farmers, wild harvesters and local producers of honeybush herbal infusion in the Garden Route District.

“This project is another good example of how different government entities can plan, budget, and execute together to the benefit of our residents.”

The Western Cape Department of Local Government (DLG), Department of Agriculture (DOA), Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), successfully demonstration an innovative honeybush processing unit at the ARC Infruitec/Nietvoorbij facility in Stellenbosch. This technology, developed by ARC, has the potential to be upscaled and rolled out to the agriculture sector, enhancing economic opportunities for local communities.

The Garden Route Agro-processing Support Project aims to strengthen the honeybush tea value chain, and this demonstration marks a significant milestone in the project. At the demonstration event Prof. Bongani Ndimba, the ARC research director, welcomed the stakeholders and provided opening remarks, highlighting the importance of this initiative and its history dated back to 1992. “This project is part of a broader effort to support Agro-processing and food security in the region. The Garden Route District Municipality has sourced R1 million in funding for the project, which will help to expand production and processing of agricultural products,” Prof Ndimba said.

Ivan Meyer, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism said: “The honeybush processing plant is a platform that empowers smallholder farmers and communities. It enables them to access the value chain, which includes packaging and marketing honeybush. Their role is not just significant but integral to the success of this project.
Our support for developing smallholder and commercial propagation of honeybush is not just a standalone initiative. It is backed by the Western Cape Government’s Growth from Jobs Strategy, a testament to the government’s commitment to increasing the contribution of SMMEs to economic growth in the Western Cape.

Our aim is not just to provide affordable honeybush processing to communities, but to stimulate local understanding of the product and health benefits. We are committed to promoting inclusivity in the Honeybush value chain, making everyone feel included and part of a larger community. This commitment will advance a sustainable, resilient, diverse, and prosperous honeybush industry that inspires confidence, hope, and prosperity for all.”

Garden Route District Municipality Mayor, Andrew Stroebel said: “This initiative aligns with the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan and the Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy, focusing on expanding Agro-processing capabilities in the region.”

Project costs of R4 million was shared between the DLG, providing R2 million, and the DOA, also investing R2 million.

The project has three phases: Phase one being the design and construction of the honey bush retort, phase two will be the construction of an Agro-processing hub and the housing infrastructure on land belonging to the Garden Route District Municipality close to the Cango Caves outside Oudtshoorn, and phase three involves branching out to Agri-tourism, with a focus on training tea sommeliers.

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Photo supplied by Nomkhosi Ngcobo: From left to right:

Minister Anton Bredell; Andrew Stroebel, Executive Mayor for the Garden Route District Municipality; Prof Bongani Ndimba, Research Director at the ARC.

11 October 2024 Media Release: GRDM plays its part in World Food Day, celebrating it in Uniondale

Media Release: GRDM plays its part in World Food Day, celebrating it in Uniondale

11 October 2024

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Executive Mayor, Andrew Stroebel, has reflected on the Municipality’s contribution to food security to the Garden Route region at a World Food Day celebration. This year’s theme is the “Right to Foods for a better life and a better future: Leave no one behind”. Collective action across over 150 countries worldwide is what makes World Food Day (16 October) one of the most celebrated days in the United Nations calendar.

During Mayor Stroebel’s address at the Uniondale Sports Grounds, he said: “One of our many promising initiatives is our Municipality’s Resilient Agriculture Niche Support Programme (Agri-processing), which focuses on honeybush tea processing”.

Agri-processing refers to the transformation of raw agricultural products into different forms that add value, enhance usability, or extend shelf life.

“Honeybush, indigenous to our region, has immense potential not only as a health product but also as an agricultural crop that drives economic development. We have thus far facilitated investments in processing equipment for local honeybush production. The establishment of this processing plant has been made possible through funding provided by the Western Cape Government, particularly from the Provincial Departments of Local Government and Agriculture.”

It is interesting to note that Honeybush has spinoffs for job creation, rural development, exports, biodiversity, and even tourism.

“The GRDM remains focused on building a district where food security cross-cuts society and where agriculture remains inclusive, innovative, and globally competitive. With the right partnerships and a shared vision, we are striving to position this region as one that continuously promotes sustainable development,” Stroebel concluded.

The event was arranged by the Western Cape Provincial Government’s Department of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, attended by its Western Cape MEC Dr Ivan Meyer, supported by both Garden Route District and George Municipalities.

Feature image: Items ready for collection by community members.

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