After a disappointing 2021/22 season, which turned out to be quite bad on a farm level given trade and logistical issues, South African stone fruit growers and exporters are looking forward to a much-improved offering of domestic stone fruit for 2022/23. Supply is expected to be much more stable, reliable and on time given that logistical bottlenecks have been addressed. This will directly lead to South African stone fruit arriving in great condition.
The industry as a whole has focused on quality, size and improving the logistical chain. The price/cost squeeze, as experienced globally, is continuing to create pressure on production costs, resulting in a real urgency for the whole value chain to interrogate efficiencies, productivity, and costs.
The stone fruit season is already underway. Globally, economies are taking great strain and consumer spending is under pressure, but growers are under even more pressure to remain profitable. Essentially, growers are asking for a fair return to assure the livelihoods of those dependent on the industry value chain.
South Africa’s initial stone fruit export predictions encompass an increase of 4% each for plums (86,000 tons) and peaches (6,550 tons), organic growth of 15% for nectarines (23,650 tons) and a good, proper apricot season resulting in 9% more exports (3,085 tons).
Source: hortgro.co.za