Growing demand for South Africa’s superior quality fruit has seen demand for product rise, with significant growth in export volumes.According to Werner van Rooyen, chief operating officer of the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum (FPEF), producers are staying ahead of the curve by adopting new production processes and increasing the allocation of resources towards research.“Adoption of new technologies has also increased. However, there are many challenges to mitigate before we can comfortably say that our anticipated growth will be realised,” said Van Rooyen. Issues such as resolving logistics and infrastructure constraints, and the impact of climate change, with specific reference to the upcoming potential drought cycle, are major concerns for the sector.“The industry has proven in the past that we can overcome various challenges in the export environment, and the best way to approach these is to consider scenario planning for the future and surrounding oneself with institutions and stakeholders to jointly address the complex challenges we are fa cing today.”Va n R o oyen said despite the challenges, the FPEF was upbeat about the fresh produce industry.“In the 2020/2021 season, record fresh produce export volumes were realised in the pome fruit, table grapes and citrus categories, with a return-to-normal stone fruit season. The continuous growth trajectory in blueberry and avocado exports contributed to the record volumes exported,” he said. “For 2023, we were unfortunate with adverse weather conditions in some pome fruit-producing areas, resulting in a decline in production volumes. Apple export volumes were adjusted downwards for this year by 8% and pear exports were also revised downwards by 13%.”According t o Va n Rooyen, weather conditions and the impact of load-shedding would also impact grape exports. “The total table grapes exports were revised downwards by 16% compared with last year. The season is still ongoing for table grape exports, yet we are fast approaching the tail end of the season.”The importance of horticultural exports is significant to the South African economy, contributing between 30% and 35% of total agricultural exports. “This is a high revenue-earning sector for South Africa. An important factor to note is the significant job creation opportunities created by the agricultural – and specifically horticultural – export sector.Sustainable farming and worker welfare are key components for the longevity of the sector and growing fresh produce exports.”Van Rooyen said horticultural exports had been on a growth trajectory since 2010.“The success story here lies within the citrus categories, but we must not disregard the exponential growth, although from a lower base, of alternative fruit categories,” he told Freight News. “Pome fruit, stone fruit and table grapes are steadily growing at a very good pace.”
