Taking the chicken world by storm

Over 13 years, Evodia Motsepe sent out more than 500 job applications in the public and private sector, but did not get a single acknowledgment.

However, three weeks ago, Motsepe, a mother of three and an MBA graduate, became South Africa’s first black woman to benefit from the US-backed black entrepreneurship programme for poultry importers under the new dispensation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) after South Africa’s readmission to duty-free access to the US market.

As part of the new deal, which will as of next month see 65 000 tons of US bone-in chicken come into the South African market a year, Motsepe will import 4 100 tons, while the seven other quota recipients, all of whom are black men, will also import the same amount.

Cynthia Harvey, US embassy spokesperson in Pretoria, said Motsepe’s was one of 31 new companies that attended a seminar on the Agoa benefits organised for historically disadvantaged individuals.

Harvey said the embassy, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, as well as the departments of trade and industry and forestry and fisheries, said the training seminar taught entrepreneurs and importers about the processes to import US poultry into the South African market.

She said all trainees were “entrepreneurs new to this industry and eager to learn about this new business opportunity that emerged from the Agoa agreement – including the difficulties, risks and rewards related to international trade. They learnt from real experts about exporting, importing, warehousing and veterinary requirements.”

Having failed to secure a corporate job, Motsepe established the Right Scope Academy, an accredited training facility with a focus on animal and plant health, and has trained candidates under the Agricultural Sector Education and Training Authority.

As the chairperson of Mega Food Supplies, Motsepe is a strong believer in entrepreneurs – especially women – never giving up when faced with rejection.

“Being rejected for so many years was a blessing in disguise because I started Mega Food Supplies with my husband, Sol, and, through various partnerships, we’ve grown and accessed markets that we would otherwise have not been able to.

“I spoke to local poultry producers who did not buy into my idea, but four years ago, I spoke to importers who embraced Mega Food Supplies. That’s how I got to where I am today,” said Motsepe, a former teacher.

The 53-year-old, who grew up in the North West village of Seolong, has big dreams for Mega Food Supplies, which supplies the departments of correctional services, health and education, as well as restaurants, mining companies, wholesalers and retailers with processed meat, vegetables, frozen-food products and fresh produce that is sourced locally and abroad.

“We are entering the export market in the United Arab Emirates, China, Brazil, Russia and the Far East for our food products, and that is another game-changer,” said Motsepe, whose import quota is worth millions of rands.

Motsepe said it’s a feather in Mega Food Supplies’ cap to be part of a massive industry that locally produces chicken worth in the region of R50 billion a year.

It has not been an easy road for Motsepe, who abandoned an estate agency business a few years ago due to “unscrupulous” people within the industry, but she believes the going will get better.

“The import market is not easy to break into because of the high cost of sourcing of products, freight forwarding, buying products, shipment, and costs for clearing agents and storage. It turns your hair grey.

“The concerns that have been raised about the quality of chicken we will be getting from the US are totally overemphasised because health authorities and veterinarians will put their names on the products when they leave US shores, and our local veterinarians will also check for standards every time a shipment arrives on our shores,” she said.

“There are safeguards to ensure there is no dumping of meat because South Africans eat the parts of chicken that Americans do not want to eat,” said Motsepe, adding that importers had a right to exist within the industry despite reservations of local producers.

Prior to the deal being penned, Motsepe was also worried she may lose out if South Africa did not reach an agreement by the deadline set by US President Barack Obama for South Africa to allow imports of US chicken.

“The biggest obstacles for many entrepreneurs in this industry are the access to finance and access to markets. Without access to finance, there can be no access to the markets.

“Entrepreneurs find a lot of red tape and people who don’t want to work with you, but they should never give up,” said Motsepe.