Free State chicken project empowers community

Grain Field Chickens, with the help of R130-million in state backing, has boosted its production from 9 000 to 130 000 chickens a day since 2012, while creating over 1 000 new jobs for people in around Reitz in South Africa's Free State province.

During a visit to the Grain Field Chickens abattoir last week, President Jacob Zuma said this was "great news for many families in the area. Another good story ... is that workers here at Grain Field own 23% in the business."

He added that the people behind the project had been innovative and had not sat back and waited for the government, which had stepped in "only at a later stage" with funding and technical assistance.

"This is the story of how you were able to take a difficult situation, like the economic recession, and turn it around into an economic and social success," he said. "The Grain Field Chicken project proves that South Africa is a much better place to live in now. There are more opportunities that did not exist before, especially for black people."

Grain Field MD Sas Kasselman said the company's employees were also beneficiaries of a 23.1 percent stake in the abattoir. "This makes the project's success a personal success for the beneficiaries as well. It creates a social responsibility amongst employees.

"Job growth and skills development sharing is extremely crucial to the growth of any project of this magnitude," Kasselman said. "We ensure that employees on various levels are trained, and they in turn share their training and transfer skills to their fellow workers. It is a continuous learning environment at the abattoir."  READ MORE

Source: www.southafrica.info  #IFAMAFRICA