“Industry high standards, agility, and resilience made quick adaptions possible.” During Week 25 of the current pome fruit season, there was a marked increase in apple exports. This in contrast to previous weeks where the impact of Covid-19 played havoc…
By Carlie Solomon The Port of Cape Town has long suffered from operational inefficiencies that significantly delay fruit shipments. These inefficiencies have far-reaching economic consequences, with substantial portions of fruit lost due to spoilage and quality degradation. The resulting increase…
By Jacques du Preez “Africa is not for sissies” is a term often used that undoubtedly describes Africa’s unique challenges – from the varying climates, logistics to doing business navigating the unfortunate “political challenges” prevalent in many countries. And of…
With approximately half of all apples marketed by Tru-Cape sold in Africa, the fruit exporter continues to stay ahead of shifting consumer preferences and developments in the continent’s fresh fruit industry. “Twenty years ago, Granny Smith, Top Red, and…
If you are a producer, a social (ethical) auditor is maybe not necessarily someone you might invite over for tea, yet these ‘agents of change’ form a crucial spoke in the economic value chain wheel. Elise-Marie Steenkamp investigates. As global requirements…
Currently, the industry is in a very precarious position with the current operational status of the Cape Town (CT) port. The industry, and country, is losing millions of Rands on a daily basis due to inefficiencies resulting in berthing delays…
Last season, Agbiz ran a pilot project (Genset project) with Transnet to create additional temporary plug-point capacity at the Port of Cape Town. The project was funded via donations from FPEF, SATI, Hortgro, the KAL Group and the Western Cape…
South African plum growers have reported excellent crop quality this season as they look to inspire UK consumers to choose their fruit. With the plum season now in full swing, the governing body of the South African Deciduous Fruit Industry,…
Despite Covid-19 and a few tough drought years, the deciduous fruit industry has been blessed with exceptional harvests in every fruit category managed by Hortgro, after “near-perfect growing conditions”. Hortgro expects a record apple and pear harvest this season, despite…
The South African stone fruit industry is preparing for the 2025/2026 export season with optimism, thanks to favourable weather conditions during winter and blossoming, which led to good fruit set and fruit quality across most production regions. Overall export volumes…
By Lucille Botha Six years after its debut on the international stage, South Africa’s homegrown apple brand, Flash Gala, has reached a remarkable milestone. Over one million cartons of this sought-after variety were exported for the first time in a…
Not all exporters and producers use marketing agreements when procuring and exporting fruit. According to a statement by the Fresh Producer Exporters’ Forum (FPEF) this leads to misunderstandings and complaints. In order to try and prevent that, and to assist both parties,…