One of the province’s first workers’ trust in the flower industry has celebrated its first birthday with the announcement that the Department of Agriculture is to fund its expansion through a grant of R652 000.

The trust, established through a R595 000 loan with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, owns a 65 per cent stake in Misty Mountains which is located in Somerset East.

The expansion means that the farm will expand its current infrastructure to include a new 1500m2 structure, complete with automated irrigation and a cooling system, to grow various rose cultivars. The current infrastructure comprises ten tunnels, a 1500m2 shade cloth structure, a pack house complete with a cold room and a fully automated irrigation system that was financed by the workers’ trust and is expected to be repaid over three years.

“This development follows a healthy list of achievements for the initiative in its first year of operation. The farm now has an entrenched client base in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg to which it supplies ruscus, ornamental sunflowers and asters. Its roses are also destined for these cities,” says Adele Taljard who together with her husband Harold are also stakeholders in the trust.

The farm has overcome the challenges of poor water quality which affected its first tomato harvest. It supplies tomatoes for local consumption.

Another important result of the past year has been the skilling of the eight workers which has also included rudimentary budgeting which has improved workers finance skills, both on a business and personal level.

Workers’ technical skills have also improved.

“The choice of flowers has given depth to our team’s skills. Our selection has taught the team to grow different flowers, all of which need different approaches. However, since these flowers are destined for the local market, they are learning in an environment where conditions are less stringent,” says Taljard who is also secretary of the Eastern Cape Flower Growers’ Association.

She says other rewards include seeing staff enjoy their independence and sharing the project with others.

However, other skills will need to be mastered before the farm’s produce can for the international market and hence Taljard says it would be foolhardy to expand too quickly.

“It’s been an incredibly busy year and one not without its challenges,” she explains.

She refers to delays in the installation of the infrastructure, the increased administrative load and “just that it took longer than anyone thought.”

However, Taljard says these challenges have been overcome and that the payments of the ECDC loan have begun on schedule.

Other stakeholders in the project are the Blue Crane Route Municipality who provided the land and installed the electricity and water, and the farm’s project manager and mentor Harold Taljard who has brought unique flower farming skills as well as a substantial financial contribution to the initiative.

ECDC project development specialist Ken Bern confirmed ECDC is involved in several other flower projects such as Longmore Protea Estates and East Cape Flower Trail.