Stringent global quality control puts pressure on growers

Unstinting attention to producing top quality fruit able to pass muster by world standards poses huge ongoing demands on South Africa’s 6 000-odd fruit growers, says Stuart Symington, CEO of the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum. Symington, whose organisation represents the country’s major fruit players, around 65 of them accounting for more than 70% of all fruit exports, points to evermore stringent demands on the acceptability of produce, whether from South Africa, Chile or Australia or any other growing region. “There can be no doubting new scientific techniques, such as those in Japan, which I would call a comparison between forensic medicine and forensic phyto-sanitary detection to show up substances we did not expect to find in our fruit, such as a harmless packhouse sanitisation hand liquid. “Growers therefore have to be more vigilant about the chemicals used and the manner in which they wash their fruit – and if something does not qualify for the market, they must not pack it. “In Europe last year we had more than 100 interceptions of our citrus, and a recent visiting EU delegation has expressed the wish to look at our systems and advise on the remedial action we must take.” More evidence is emerging day by day of the leading retail bosses demanding product that is more ethically produced and fully cognisant of all environmental issues. The onus, he points out, is therefore “fairly and squarely” on the shoulders of South Africa’s growers to ensure that no questions are asked once product is packed and ready for shipping. “Our exporters rely tremendously on growers to be totally ethical and honest about the rules of the road.” The FPEF expects total fruit exports this year to be slightly down on 2008, to some 2.1 million tonnes accounting for revenues of R10.5 billion. Symington subscribed with a measure of caution to the ‘green shoot’ theory coined by former US Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, that the future may be on the up and up. “The guys (and girls) who are doing well and hanging in there will come out straining at the leash. Everybody is licking their wounds for now but they will get up and walk again.” Symington does not subscribe to a ‘blanket’ theory that the South African government, as a whole, has failed the fruit industry, pointing to sterling assistance from the department of Science and Technology and the department of trade, among others.