Western Cape provincial trade, tourism and investment promotion agency Wesgro and Standard Bank South Africa have collaborated to support the conclusion of an export deal worth R300-million a year for a Western Cape company and, through it, for a network of mainly women-owned poultry farms in that province and in Mpumalanga province. The deal is for the export of chicken feet to China, and could create 3 000 new jobs across the whole value chain.

The company at the centre of this deal is specialist agricultural trading consultancy AskCarlaKote. The enterprise will send 540 t of chicken feet to China every month. Chicken feet, used in stews, soups and as snacks, comprise about 50% of China’s chicken imports every year. Its main traditional suppliers have been Brazil, Vietnam and the US.

“This deal holds enormous potential for South African poultry farmers and our clients,” affirmed AskCarlaKote founder Carla Kote. “While we have experienced some delays due to the recent bird flu outbreak in the country, we are optimistic that once all regulatory hurdles have been addressed, we will be sending our first test order to China before the end of the year. This trade deal is the result of collaboration between Wesgro, Standard Bank, the farming sector, and my company. Standard Bank has pledged its support to enhance and grow the broilers and abattoirs within our supply chain. The agriculture departments in Mpumalanga and Western Cape have also thrown their full support behind this initiative.”

“With its potential to create thousands of jobs and bolster the regional economy, this deal stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in driving economic growth,” highlighted Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander. “Our mission at Wesgro is to support businesses in driving economic growth and job creation across the city and province. This deal is a significant milestone towards achieving these goals.”

“Our goal at the Standard Bank Group is to play this meaningful role of partnering African businesses for growth and playing a leading role when it comes to opening up opportunities in the world’s largest markets, such as China, and to do so with strategic partners such as Wesgro, really helps us deliver this goal more sharply, grow these businesses and impact the communities in which they operate,” explained Standard Bank international trade head Luthando Vuba.

AskCarlaKote has already received a second inquiry from Asia, for the supply of chicken feet. And the company is currently in advanced discussions with multiple clients in West Africa about chicken feet exports to that region.