AN ENTERPRISING
R15 million government
initiative has been
established to improve the
competitiveness of the
South African fruit export
industry, with particular
emphasis on the postharvest
leg of the chain. This
three-year programme is
seen as a giant step forward
for the industry.
The funding will be
channelled into the publicprivate
partnership set up
between the Fresh Produce
Exporters’ Forum (FPEF),
the Agricultural Research
Council (ARC) and the
Department of Science &
Technology (DST).
The programme will
be managed by a newlyelected,
seven member
Programme Management
Unit (PMU), chaired by FPEF
CEO Stuart Symington. The
responsibility of managing
the programme on a day-today
basis will rest with Dr
Malcolm Dodd, who will be
seconded from the PPECB
to do the honours. Once a
well-known figure in the
avocado industry, Dr Dodd
is highly regarded as one
of the very few cold chain
specialists in the industry.
Symington is confident
that significant additional
funding can be leveraged
for this programme. He
has been liaising closely
with the Commonwealth
in London regarding a
joint venture on analysing
weaknesses in the chain
from inland cold stores right
the way through to the
product passing over the rail
of the vessel in port.
“The whole idea
behind this programme
is to improve the
competitiveness of our
product in our overseas
markets by evaluating
product quality and
efficiencies at the South
African end of the
export value chain. Most
importantly, we will be
adapting our practices to
what the market wants, and
we will be benchmarked
against the world’s best,”
explains Symington.
Technology gaps have
been identified by the
industry for this programme.
An example is container
technology which hasn’t
changed in 30 years. The
airflow, temperature and
humidity controls inside
containers need to be
thoroughly reviewed, as
there appear to be great
opportunities for improving
the arrival quality of
our fruit products if this
technology is improved.
It is all the more
important considering
that, in the last five years,
the majority of the fruit
export business (70%)
has switched from the
specialised reefer mode to
the containerised shipping
mode.
“Capespan’s recent shift
from conventional shipping
to container shipping has
put enormous pressure
on shipping companies,
logistics companies and port
operators to provide the
necessary containers and
equipment to move their
product through the chain,”
says Symington.
Fruit export industry gets R15m boost
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