Since 1998 food processing has tended to move against the grain of the rest of manufacturing, which is dominated by metals and auto production. During the commodity boom, which lasted from around 2002 to 2011, its sales grew more slowly than other manufacturing industries. From 2007 to 2009, during the global financial crisis and the start of the 2008-2016 electricity shortage, most of manufacturing saw a 15% fall in output. In contrast, food processing maintained fairly steady growth in sales until the drought in 2015 and has again picked up in Q1 2017.

In South Africa, the desired outcomes of industrial policy are ultimately sustained, sustainable and increasingly inclusive growth. Can agro-processing contribute to these outcomes through accelerated investment and employment creation? What contribution can it make to government's objectives of support for smaller producers and black industrialists, maintaining food security, and enhancing productivity, competitiveness and industrial diversification? What obstacles does it face?

The Manufacturing Circle Investment Tracker (MCIT) is a quarterly survey of investment taking place by businesses in the manufacturing sector.  It is an indexed survey that highlights the growth or contraction in the level of investment by firms. The data on the findings from Q1 & Q2 2017 will be presented.

Presenters

Neva Makgetla is a senior economist at TIPS. Makgetla has published widely on the South African economy and worked for many years in government, most recently as Deputy Director General for Policy in the Economics Development Department, as well as in COSATU.

Mbongeni Ndlovu: Mbongeni is an economist at TIPS. Prior to working at TIPS he worked at Genesis Analytics and the South African Reserve Bank. He has Master of Science Degrees in African Studies and Development Economics from the University of Oxford. He also holds a BSC in Economics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Philippa Rodseth is the Executive Director of the Manufacturing Circle. She has previously worked at Spoke Consulting and FNB. She has an MBA and a B.Arch from Wits.

Xhanti Payi is the MD at Nascence Advisory & Research, a strategy consulting and research outfit. He has worked as an analyst at Investec Wealth & Investment, an Economist at Stanlib Asset Managers and at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking. Payi has academic training from UCT and the University of London.

Date:    Thursday 17 August 2017

 Time:    9h30 – 12h00