Johannesburg – Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Nomalungelo Gina has officially opened the new R300 million state-of-the-art Tiger Brands Peanut Butter Manufacturing plant.
Speaking during the official launch of the facility in Chamdor, Krugersdorp, on Friday, Deputy Minister Gina said the new plant was a sign of confidence by Tiger Brands in the South African economy.
The new plant, which has 62 full-time employees, is located on more than 8 000 square metres of land within Mogale City.
The company says up to 70% of the peanuts used in the production process are procured locally.
Tiger Brands revealed that local farmers were not able to meet the total need, at least 30% of the peanuts had to be sourced from markets outside South Africa.
The deputy minister also lauded Tiger Brands for its commitment to the economic transformation agenda by growing Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMME) through Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD).
“As government, we insist on this policy direction because we know that SMMEs contribute 34% to the national GDP and they are the largest employer,” said Deputy Minister Gina.
“As the country, we are under pressure to maximize employment in this country as we are pursuing re-industrialisation of the economy, SMMEs will remain an important aspect of growing our economic base.
“Big corporates have an obligation to use the ESD model effectively through empowerment measures such as ESD mechanisms,” she said.
Deputy Minister Gina urged Tiger Brands and other SA-based companies to fully utilise the benefits of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).
She said utilising the benefits of AfCTA would ensure their own advancement and that of the South African and African economies.
