The citrus growers from Southern Africa will export a record crop of close to 137 million boxes of citrus fruit to more than 100 countries this year. The rise in exports should translate into job opportunities, more foreign exchange revenue and a growing economy. This provisional export estimate was presented to the Citrus Marketing Forum [...]
The biannual summit of the South African citrus industry is taking place in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, a gathering of over 600 delegates that brings together all the links of the citrus chain in a holistic way, from farm to market. The inclusive approach of the summit was remarked upon by some of [...]
While there is currently little evidence of price pressure compared with a year ago, supermarket chain Shoprite has warned that food prices could increase over the next few months. Hester Vermeulen, economist at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), agreed, adding that food prices were bound to increase due to factors such as the [...]
Agri Western Cape welcomed its new Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jannie Strydom, on 1 March 2019. Mr Strydom, who holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Pretoria, took over the reins from Mr Carl Opperman, who retired after 20 years as CEO of the organisation. Mr Strydom has extensive experience as [...]
Agricultural exports represented 10.8% of total South African exports in 2017, and came to R127.69-billion. The report counts South Africa among the top exporters of a number of products. South Africa is the second largest exporter of citrus fruit (fresh or dried) in the world, even though it is ranked 14th in citrus production. Citrus exports [...]
The European market presents a challenge to the South African grape industry but one which has just emphasised again the importance of retail programmes, says Clayton Swart, Communications and Market Development Manager at the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI). The grape season has entered the final weeks – it’s expected to run until the [...]
Such is the enthusiasm for the new apple cultivar, Bigbucks, marketed as Flash Gala™ apples, that new plantings are expected to reach a million trees in South Africa by the end of this year. According to the South African Plant Improvement Organisation (SAPO), it’s the quickest rate at which any new cultivar has ever expanded [...]
The Service Delivery Forum took place at the Erinvale Hotel in Somerset West, and was attended by stakeholders from agriculture, forestry and fisheries. As sponsor of the event Fruit South Africa was given an opportunity to address the meeting. The following was highlighted: The fruit sector in South Africa is going through a growth phase, [...]
Food security is a hard-won privilege and can easily be lost due to the persistent drought. Agri SA will rally all stakeholders to support farmers and farm workers in drought afflicted areas. Rising food prices, malnutrition and food-inequality will be our future if nothing is done. Commodity organisations are very concerned about the impact on [...]
Pick n Pay - one of South Africa’s largest retailers - is selling a combination of citrus paired for gins at R44.99 (€2.80) at over 200 of its stores. This combination, called “PnP citrus for gin” has caused quite a commotion on social media. The citrus combination, has seen social media users describing it as [...]
