Plan needed to enhance competitiveness of SA's deciduous fruit canning industry

Dr Heinrich Jantjies, group risk, safety and security director at Tiger Brands, says the deciduous fruit canning industry has been on a decline in South Africa since 2016. He suggests implementing a Deciduous Fruit Canning Industry Recovery and Competitive Plan to turn the industry around.

- Dr Heinrich Jantjies

South Africa’s deciduous fruit (peaches, pears, apricots, and mixed fruit) canning industry has been highly competitive on the global stage over time and has maintained this competitive trend since the early 1960s, despite changing political, social and regulatory conditions. From 2002 to 2021, it was only outperformed by Greece and Spain.

However, a decline has been evident since 2016. If this continues, it will lead to employment losses, a reduction in livelihoods, and losses in foreign exchange earnings – things South Africa can ill afford.

To arrest this decline, industry leaders in collaboration with the Government of National Unity should craft and implement a Deciduous Fruit Canning Industry Recovery and Competitive Plan (DFCIRCP) to enhance the sector’s competitive performance and create a basis of growth and economic development within the full value chain. This is one of the key recommendations made by a new study conducted at Stellenbosch University.

VISION AND STRATEGIC ACTIONS

“The DFCIRCP can build a shared vision and strategic actions with government support, public-private partnerships, and alignment with the National Development Plan and the [Agriculture and] Agro-processing Master Plan to stimulate competitive growth in the industry,” according to Dr Heinrich Jantjies, group risk, safety and security director at Tiger Brands.

Jantjies recently obtained his doctorate in Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University on the topic of competitiveness in the deciduous fruit canning value chain.