New South African fruit industry body, HORTGRO Services, says the poor quality of import fruit, especially stone fruit, has given rise to many consumer complaints in South Africa in recent months.
The volume of fresh fruit imported during the South African off-season between June and September has increased dramatically in recent years. Grapes and stone fruit have been imported from Southern Europe and North Africa to take advantage of the country’s growing consumer market. Increasing volumes of imported berries and cherries, along with kiwi fruit from both Italy and New Zealand, have also found their way onto South African shelves. During the South African summer, between November and early February, it is common to find imported avocados and citrus fruit on the South African market.
Anton Rabe, Executive Director of Hortgro Services, said that the organisation has received a lot of calls from consumers complaining about the appearance and eating quality of especially stone fruit in recent months. “Due to the seasonality of fruit production, such products were imported. Due to various reasons, imported fruit does not have the eating or keeping quality which South African consumers are used to and demand.”
Well-known South African Exporter and Importer, Fruit & Veg City International, has contested Mr Rabe’s statement by saying that the quality and taste of imported produce have been excellent this season. “It is the best quality and taste year we have ever had with imported stone fruit and our customers are generally very happy with the season," says Jaco van Tubbergh, Managing Director.
Mr Rabe encouraged consumers to complain when they are unable to purchase products that conform to their needs and expectations. “Consumers should know that when produce leaves farms and pack houses, they are in mint condition. If products ends up otherwise, someone in the handling chain botched up and should be held accountable, not the growers.”
He says apart from apples and pears that have been in long term controlled atmosphere cold stores which are still available in adequate volumes and great quality from local sources, all other products are new season products.
“Now that SA grown produce is once again available, the eating experience of consumers should vastly improve due to the excellent eating quality of our home grown products.”
In general importers of off-season produce and the South African retail sector who have been marketing increasing volumes of imported fruit to boost all year round supply are unlikely to be pleased about the criticism from HORTGROW SA. The imported produce have also been selling at premium prices during a time of the year when the South African market is virtually flooded with local category lines such as apples, citrus and bananas.
HORTGRO Services was established recently when the deck chairs in the South African deciduous fruit industry were neatly rearranged to consign the Deciduous Fruit Producers’ Trust (DFPT), which was first established to achieve some sort of consolidation during the chaos which followed the deregulation of the industry back in 1997, to an early death.
The organisation has also indicated that HORTGRO Services is only the beginning. The operational consolidation in HORTGRO Services will soon be carried further with a more consolidated approach on a strategic industry level with the establishment of a HORTGROW SA identity and profile. According to Mr Rabe this super body will be established as a section 21 service company to act as a national communication platform for its members to address collective issues over the industry value chain.
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