The Agro Processing Support Scheme can benefit SMME’s
The South African agricultural sector provides a host of investment and export opportunities in a number of different sub sectors. The Agro Processing Support Scheme provides up to R20million in grant funding on a cost-sharing basis to eligible agro-processors. Agro-processing refers to post-harvest value adding of agricultural raw material. This fund is not applicable to the growing and harvesting of the raw crop or animals. As a country with different climatic regions, from semi-arid to sub-tropical, a wide variety of crops, livestock and game are to be found. The Agro-Processing Support Scheme (APSS) aims to stimulate investment by the South African agro-processing / beneficiation (agri-business) enterprises.
The Agro-Processing Support Scheme Qualifying Processes/Projects
New and existing agro-processing/beneficiation projects. This can also involve a wide range of processing or beneficiation activities of post-harvest, that result in valueaddition and/or enhanced storage life, such as cleaning, sorting, grading, waxing,controlled ripening, labelling, packing & packaging, warehousing, canning, freezing,freeze drying, wood carving, extrusion, synthesizing, polymerisation, and variouslevels of processing that change agricultural product form. In the forestry value-chainmay also include sawing, pulping, peeling and preservation.
The APSS will be targeted at five (5) key identified sub-sectors (focus areas) as follows:
- Food and beverage value addition and processing (including Black winemakers);
- Furniture manufacturing;
- Fibre processing;
- Feed production; and
- Fertilizer production.
Interpretation of the focus areas within each sector will be at the discretion of the dti. Agro-processing/beneficiation activities will be considered based on economic impact in terms of job creation, geographic spread and strengthening supply chains.
Beneficiaries
SA Registered Entities in the following sub-sectors:
- Food & beverage value addition and processing (including Black winemakers)
- Furniture manufacturing
- Fibre processing
- Feed production; and
- Fertilizer production
Going forward, incentive and Dream Team Capital can play an even more important role in the co-ordination, integration and reporting on the consolidated performance of the various fragmented energy efficiency initiatives in the country. Contact us today for professional assistance in streamlining your application for the Agro Processing Support Scheme.