Top trends at this year's Fruit Logistica

South Africa's logistical challenges came under scrutiny at the highly regarded international fruit and vegetable producers' gathering.

- Glenneis Kriel

Fruit Logistica, the fruit and vegetable trade show annually hosted in Berlin, Germany, hosted more than 2770 exhibitions, with at least 24 000 staff, and over 66 000 visitors from 145 countries this year.

While the show serves as a valuable networking platform and allows industries to familiarise themselves with the latest technological advancements, it also offers great insights into new market trends and concerns.

AJ Griesel, CEO of the South African Table Grape Industry, told Farmer's Weekly that logistical challenges emerged as a huge concern for almost everyone.

"The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the war in Ukraine and now the Red Sea crisis, exposed the fragmented nature and vulnerabilities of international logistics, with many countries, not only South Africa, now struggling with logistical challenges," Griesel said.

He added that various ideas emerged from the trade show on ways to tackle these challenges, but the viability of these and whether they would be able to alleviate South Africa's logistics problems, especially at the country's ports, remained to be seen.