The local farming sector will continue to be hit hard if imports of frozen processed potato products continue.
The practice is referred to by Potato SA's head of marketing, Willie Jacobs, as "dumping" of products on the South African market by overseas countries – a harmful situation.
Fears are that potato farmers will slip further into economic decline, and that it will impact the livelihoods of South African farmers, employees, and their families.
The local potato industry and global importers have a longstanding history of battling as South Africa is considered an attractive destination for dumping frozen processed potato products.
Erratic imports are negative for a viable local economy, so a structured policy for anti-dumping is imperative, Jacobs said.
South Africa's total land area is approximately 122.3 million hectares, on which about 52 355 hectares of potatoes are planted annually.
According to stats by Potatoes South Africa, 83% of this is produced under irrigation, meaning water is applied to the soil through various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays.
The remaining 17% is irrigated by rainwater. SOURCE: Food for Mzanzi via fresh Plaza.
