Independent citrus grower sidesteps tradition An Eastern Cape citrus farmer has decided to sidestep the traditional channels and to start marketing and selling his fruit internationally himself.
Valdy Jensen of the farm Birchmore in the Sundays River Valley area outside Port Elizabeth is also chairman of the Independent Fruit Growers Association.
He argues that Eastern Cape citrus is of premium quality and should therefore command a premium price and has rejected the Outspan practice of selling all the citrus produced in South Africa under a single brand.
Up to now the rewards of the inherently superior qualities of East Cape fruit have been denied to the region through a policy of national pooling, says Jensen.
We now expect to experience recognition of our product and to see the demand for South African citrus to focus on the two Capes. We also anticipate an improvement in net farm gate income as premiums are realised for better fruit and the costs of bureaucracy are saved. The Sundays River - branded citrus was exported through Port Elizabeth at the beginning of July.
Several other fruit farmers are known to be watching Jensen's attempt at going it alone with interest - for one thing he has managed to hack his way through plenty of red tape even though the powers of the old agricultural boards have now officially been broken.
The Independent Fruit Growers Association claims to represent 600 farmers and to have many more supporters. Wool farmers are also considering marketing and exporting their own product. A breakaway organisation representing Eastern Cape farmers is taking on the interests in the former wool board and may also be setting up its own routes to market.
These developments will be of interest to the freight-forwarding industry as they present fresh opportunities to both existing and new forwarders serving the agricultural sector.
