24 Mar 2024

Mmadinare Multi-purpose Cooperative Society has been offered 10 per cent of the Selebi Phikwe Citrus Farm shares.

The cooperative society has leased 1 500 hectares of their land to the citrus farm operator for a 50 year period.

The citrus farm owners have invested over P300 million in the project and they made their first harvested last week.

About 70 per cent of the produce goes to international markets whilst 30 per cent will be consumed locally.

The board chairperson of the cooperative society, Mr Motlamorago Gaseitsiwe pleaded with President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi during the first harvest ceremony to assist the cooperative to purchase the 10 per cent stake.

He said although the cooperative had started receiving rent payments from the investor, the farm had been lying idle for 18 years following the collapse of their dairy project.

The Mmadinare cooperative has also been given the first right of refusal giving it the upper hand over other cooperatives and the power to choose which value chain to venture into before other cooperatives.

Mr Gaseitsiwe said the cooperative was preparing to get back into business, explaining that their interest was to venture into spin-off projects such as juice processing, wooden pallets, bee keeping, transportation as well as dairy production.

“The intention is to cooperate with other cooperatives on the spin-offs so that they too benefit from the project,” he said.

 The cooperative, he said, also owned a 365 hectare horticultural plot reserved for fodder production as well as an office plot in Selebi Phikwe for lease.

The MP for Mmadinare and acting Minister of Entrepreneurship, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi thanked government and all those who contributed to the success of the citrus project.

He said it would breathe some life into the cooperative society.

He said the project would go a long way in creating employment for the village youth.

Mr Molebatsi also urged Selebi Phikwe Citrus to extend its support to small scale farmers in the area. ENDS