The project, called the Tinarha agricultural tourism initiative (Tati), is also supplying major retailers like Fruit and Veg City, the Spar group and other supermarkets with vegetables like carrots, cabbages, tomatoes and lettuce.

Early this year Tati supplied Dynamic Commodities with peppers, which the company added value to and exported.

When the UDDI took over the management in 2006, Tati was a basic poverty alleviation project which was dogged by disagreements among its 55 members, UDDI project manager Sandile Adam recalled at the weekend.

“We decided we needed a new plan which would involve commercialising the project and creating jobs, plus reorganising it into three phases.”

Phase one, which is already fully under way, involves conventional farming of vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, peppers, spinach and beetroot on 20 hectares of fenced land, which is serviced by drip irrigation.

As part of this phase, the UDDI also enlisted the services of Technola agricultural mentors, a company with extensive expertise in agri-business solutions to provide the beneficiaries and employees with the necessary practical and management skills.

“We want sustainability, as we are tired of creating projects only for them to collapse later and be dumped,” Adam said.

Phase two, which is in the planning and developmental stages, is divided into several sub-projects, with about 40ha reserved for this phase, which will include both 100 hydroponics and organic farming.

“As part of this, we will have a nursery to grow our own seedlings, together with a pack house which will meet export standards, and include provision for cold storage.

“This will be a value- added service that will ensure superior customer satisfaction. We will also have a distribution outlet where we will sell directly to the public.

“We are busy fencing and preparing the land, as well as putting in additional irrigation.

“The first crop should be planted by September and harvested between November and December.

“We are not rushing into the finishing phases as we want to ensure that we do the right thing through proper human development. We want to have the right people for the right job to ensure the sustainability of the project,” he said.

Technola executive Johan Botha said phase three, which is expected to be operational in two or three years, would involve the planting of pomegranate, olive and fig trees. “We are destined for growth, but one step at a time. The community must benefit through jobs, skills and a good crop sold to them at good prices. We want to create a hub of agriculture in Uitenhage.”

Adam said one major success had been the harvesting of peppers from January until June, during which time about 70 people had been employed.

“Now that we are busy with other vegetables we employ about 52 people. When fully functional, we will employ about 400 permanent people,” said Adam.

UDDI chief executive Nomkhitha Mona said stakeholders backing the project included Volkswagen SA, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and the Eastern Cape agricultural department.