Agri-Hub is moving its fruit export industry reporting to a new technology platform designed to increase processing capacity and support the development of additional information services.
The Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) told stakeholders recently that the new system was ready for deployment. The existing platform will remain operational as a contingency while the new environment is stabilised.
The upgrade involved a modern reporting environment that supported the collection, consolidation and distribution of information across the fruit export industry, CGA industry affairs manager Albert Coetzee told Freight News.
“The processing capability and number of transactions that can be processed through the new technology stack will increase,” Coetzee said.
The upgrade had been prompted by growth in the citrus industry and increasing complexity in the information being processed, he said. The new technology would accommodate more transactions and make it easier to correct anomalies in the data.
Agri-Hub provides industry information covering a range of export-related requirements, including vessel information, stock levels and destination markets. The platform also includes tree census data and trap-monitoring modules.
This information supports operational planning, market intelligence, performance monitoring and decision-making across the export value chain, Coetzee said.
For most users, the transition is not expected to significantly change how they access the system. Coetzee said reports would continue to be available through the Agri-Hub website using existing login credentials.
The new system would also support more detailed reporting by production region. Coetzee said linking information to production regions required significant computing capacity, but this detail was expected to become part of the standard information provided under the new system.
Reports will remain available in CSV format during the transition, while the platform also has the capability to support direct application programming interface (API) links in future. Coetzee said the CSV route would provide greater stability while the new system’s output was being validated.
The transition is expected to take two months. Agri-Hub, the CGA’s business intelligence team and its technology partners will monitor data quality, report delivery and system performance.
“The new platform will provide a technology foundation for enhanced reporting services, new information products and greater value for industry stakeholders,” Coetzee said.
Hortgro agricultural economist Pieter-Steyn de Wet said the organisation was still in the process of transitioning to the new system and was not yet in a position to provide a detailed assessment.
“We will be analysing the data from both the old and new systems during the upcoming stone fruit season to investigate and better understand any differences between the two,” De Wet told Freight News.
