Industry must prioritise formal training

A skills dearth remains one of the big concerns in the perishable sector. Finding the necessary skills is becoming increasingly difficult, industry sources told FTW. “The pool of stone fruit exporters is getting smaller and smaller,” said one source. “There are less companies exporting it as it requires specialist skills in handling, logistics and marketing. Finding that skill level is not easy.” At the same time there is a tendency for farms in difficulty to be swallowed up by bigger farms, which means the pool of actual farmer owners is reducing. Agriculture and the export of perishable products have been identified as a priority for the Western Cape government which wants to increase local beneficiation of products. According to Geordin Hill Lewis, member of parliament and the Democratic Alliance’s shadow minister for trade and industry, more has to be done to boost manufacturing and to support the agricultural sector as it remains one of the areas offering the most opportunity to grow the country’s economy. Investing in the necessary skills and supporting exporters in the promotion of their products to existing and new markets goes hand in hand with this.