It is said an apple a day keeps the doctor away. A little googling reveals the well-known saying is a variant of a proverb from 1866: “Eat an apple on going to bed and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.
It really is money that could be put to better use – and not to toot anyone’s horn, some in government agree. An article on foodformzansi.com reported in January the Free State government was making “a significant commitment to apple production by investing R10 million in Stead Fruit Growers, in Bethlehem”.“Teaming up with Remmoho Investment in Agriculture, their shared focus is on fostering economic growth and job creation in the region,” it reported.
Yes, dollars, the number in rands would be excruciatingly long. Back to Stead Fruit Growers. The R10 million is a long-term investment, apples and the trees they grow on don’t pop up overnight and according to MEC of agriculture and rural development Saki Mokoena, the project will result in the region producing up to 180 000 tons of apples annually, which will bring a much-needed economic boost to the area.
So often, we hear of projects which have truly been run into the ground, or land claimants electing to accept money, instead of working the land they are owed, which leaves government with land it has no idea what to do with. We need to see more projects like this – a good news story which, honestly, we need far more of.