One of the new centres in the seda Technology Programme, the Essential Oils Business Incubator, will concentrate on empowering emerging black farmers nationwide to produce and possibly process high value essential oils.

Over the next three years, this Section 21 Company business incubator is expected to develop 12 clusters of small, independent, emerging essential oil farmers nationwide, each cultivating 25 hectares of essential oil crop plantations.

The centre will assist farmers to developed long-term supply relationships with both local and international users of high quality essential oils, thereby giving comfort to both buyer and producer of the reliability of the supply chain and the market.

The farmers that will form part of the project will, amongst others, produce a range of essential oils from unique, indigenous Southern African plants. This includes well-known oils already established in the international markets such as buchu and Eriocephalus punctulatus (Cape chamomile).

...the Essential Oils Business Incubator,
will concentrate on empowering
emerging black farmers nationwide
to produce and possibly process
high value essential oils.

Essential oils are ideal products for small-scale farmers, provided that they receive the correct technical and marketing training. To grow the Southern African essential oils industry, the Essential Oils Business Incubator will focus on transferring appropriate technologies to emerging black farmers in order to facilitate starting or increasing commercially viable essential oil production.
Biosys, a South African company specialising in the export of aromatic and fragrant plant extracts, will assist during the centre's first 18 months of existence to accelerate the establishment and growth of these clusters in order to become viable businesses.

Contact

seda Technology Programme

Robin Learmoth

Tel: (012) 841 4027
Fax: (012) 841 4158