The number of master plans had doubled in the past year. Minister Patel told parliament that a year ago there were three, covering the automotive, clothing and poultry industries. Three more had been finalised since then, covering sugar, steel and furniture.
“These master plans cover about 700 000 workers with a combined industrial output of about R300 billion. We selected these industries because they promoted food security and rural development, and two of them are labour-intensive, especially in terms of jobs for women,” he said.
“For the future, we will be looking at master plans that support growth in new economic sectors, as well as consolidating existing sectors. In this coming year, our portfolio of new sector work covers among others global business services, film animation, the chemical and plastics sectors, green industry, medial products and capital goods.”
The poultry sector is clearly in good company.