South Africa’s beleaguered fruit export industry appears to be under attack from all sides.
The latest casualty is the mango crop in Hoedspruit in Limpopo where it’s estimated that hail damage over the weekend could have affected up to 20% of the crop, according to freshplaza.com.
This follows recent reports that South Africa’s R1.5bn banana industry is under threat from a serious outbreak of a fungal disease which has been responsible for decimating millions of hectares of banana plantations across the world.
Add to that the recent banana worker strike at Mpumalanga-based organic producer Umbhaba Banana Estates Farms, followed by news of industrial action by Dutoit Agri workers in the Cape, and it all adds up to a rather rocky period. Not to mention the Citrus Black Spot issue for exports to the EU and, of course, the ongoing drought.
A fairly challenging combination …
