Robust Cold Chain Systems Poised To Boost Efficiency And Growth In South Africa’s Fruit Export Sector

Fhumulani Ratshitanga, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Fruit South Africa

Earlier this year, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen addressed delegates at the Global Cold Chain Alliance Africa Conference. What he said was nothing new per se, but it was significant.

The Global Cold Chain Alliance is an international representative association for major industries engaged in temperature-controlled warehousing, logistics and transportation. Hence, the fruit industry was invested in what Minister Steenhuisen had to say at this Africa conference, which drew senior leaders in the African third-party cold chain logistics industry.

The viability of the fruit industry of South Africa – and the local fresh produce sector at large – hinges heavily on robust cold chain management that drives efficiency in the logistics ecosystem. And as competitiveness in the global arena intensifies, so does the need for this ecosystem to be slick and world-class.

From pre-harvest practices like cultivar selection, soil management and pest control to the post-harvest stages that include harvesting, field cooling, sorting and grading, and storage and transport, meticulous cold chain management is what largely determines the condition in which produce arrives in international ports.

Cold chain at the heart of food security

There are many pre- and postharvest factors that impact the final condition of harvested fruit. Most – like climatic conditions – are beyond human control. However, an important matter like cold chain management can be optimised through a shared agenda, committed partnerships, and a big-picture mindset.

The South African fruit industry exports >60% of its fruit to >100 global destinations where competition is fierce. Therefore, premium quality is mandatory to compete effectively in this arena.

Billions of rands are lost when South African fruit is rejected at international markets. The industry is then hard pressed to continue to provide the current > 320,000 on-farm jobs to farmworkers and their >1.2 million dependents, which helps alleviate the scourge of food insecurity.

Commitment from government

The industry was heartened by Minister Steenhuisen’s voiced commitment to advocate for reform in cold chain management and the ports, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, Transnet and private-sector players.

Continuing in the gist of “growth-centred partnerships”, he also called for innovation in cold chain management that reaches beyond cities, to rural towns (the hub of South African agriculture).

And to mitigate the debilitating impact of interruptions to power supply – an Achilles heel in the fruit industry and agriculture at large – he confirmed a growing partnership between the Departments of Agriculture and Electricity and Energy to develop a framework for energy efficiency in agriculture.

This level of commitment holds significant potential for continued substantive foreign earnings to help boost the South African economy, for widespread growth.

South Africa cannot afford to be left behind in the global fresh produce trade – not with its premium-quality offering of fruit.

But if the fruit industry is going to realise its market strategy to gain, retain and optimise (GRO) markets, its role-players need all hands on deck, especially when ot comes to public-private partnerships.