South African Fresh Fruit Industry Information

The South African fresh fruit industry is represented by Fruit South Africa (FSA) and its member organisations. These include the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF) and all the fruit growers’ associations – Hortgro Services (representing the deciduous fruit sector), the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA), the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) and the Subtropical Growers’ Association (Subtrop). The FPEF is a voluntary, non-profit organisation with 108 members, consisting of fruit exporters, producer-exporters, export and marketing agents, pack houses, logistics and other service providers. The Forum was established primarily to provide leadership and services to its members and the international buying community. As the official Fresh Fruit Export Council in South Africa, the FPEF provides a pivotal link between Government and the industry to promote and assist fresh fruit exporters and increase international export markets.

Facts about the South African Fresh Fruit Industry:

  • The industry employs approximately 460 000 people, which includes direct employment on farms and at pack houses and excludes logistics personnel.
  • The industry’s most recent foreign earnings = R12 billion.
  • Since 2011, total production of deciduous fruit increased by 3%, whilst total deciduous fruit export volumes increased by 8%.
  • Recent record export crops for pome and stone fruit, with the exception of pears.
  • Continued increase in growth of seedless grape varieties, replacing old seeded cultivars.
  • 2012 proved to be an outstanding year for subtropical fruit exported, with a total crop yield of 7759 metric tons.
  • South Africa is taking the lead in ethical trade as the first country to have achieved Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP) equivalence.
  • The Citrus black spot interceptions in the European Union are one of the main concerns for South Africa’s international trade.
  • Major fruit commodities and volumes exported during 2012, are:
Fruit Commodity Industry Total (Pallets)
Avocados 18 227
Citrus 1 254 033
Table Grapes 306 265
Litchis 3 224
Mangoes 848
Pome Fruit 459 686
Stone Fruit 70 293
Other fruit commodities 13 760

 

Visit www.fpef.co.za for more information.