NUUS
BLUEBERRY INDUSTRY
THE FASTEST-GROWING HORTICULTURAL INDUSTRY IN SA
During their monthly Beanstalk . Global broadcasts , PMA Southern Africa and a panel of experts discuss key aspects of various types of fresh produce grown in South Africa and look into ways of expanding existing markets and entering new ones .
Annette Willemse Communication Specialist
The focus of this month ' s broadcast fell on the berry industry in South Africa . Included in the panel of dynamic speakers was Wian Mouton from Fall Creek Farm & Nursery , Rouxan Jansen van Rensburg from Core Fruit , Louw Pienaar from BFAP and Elzette Schutte , manager of Berries ZA .
Agricultural economist , Louw Pienaar sees huge potential in the South African berry industry as the driver of socio-economic development , especially towards much-needed job creation and the betterment of livelihoods .
FASTEST GROWING HORTICULTURAL PRODUCT IN SA
Blueberries are the fastest-growing horticultural product in South Africa and this industry has created more than 5,000 full-time jobs over the past five years . Within the South African berry family , blueberry production is the largest , occupying about 74 % of the entire planted area .
The South African blueberry industry began in Mpumalanga ' s Lydenburg district during the 1970s , and in 1987 blueberry cultivation reached the Western Cape . In 1992 , the first recorded batch of blueberries , valued at R9,780 , was exported from South Africa to Zambia . By 2001 , this value reached R5 million , and in the past year , blueberry exports moved past the R1 billion mark for the first time .
According to Schutte , the projections for the South African industry are to reach a production of 50,000 tons by 2023 , which would mean achieving 35,000 tons in exports thus placing the South African industry in the top five blueberry exporting countries in the world .
" Currently about 72 % of blueberries are exported , mainly to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom , which are traditionally our biggest markets ," says Louw . " Growth has been seen in other markets , such as the Middle Eastern and European countries . The local market segment remains important with 13 % for consumption and 15 % of the produce being processed ."
GLOBAL OVERVIEW
" Worldwide , production of highbush blueberries has grown to around 14 % per annum from 2010 to 2020 , which is very quick growth compared to other fruit industries such as citrus . The 2020 supply was 1,4 million tons from around 200,000 hectares planted across the world . The International Blueberry Organisation ( IBO ) projects world production to expand by 12,6 % towards 2024 . This growth can be ascribed to yield improvements due to greater knowledge and a wider range of varieties ," according to Louw .
In the southern hemisphere , South Africa is still a small player , in relation to Chile and Peru . He says : " South Africa competes mainly with Peru in bulk exports from September to November . Ideally , local producers must get into the market early ( from August to September ) before the price drops when the large players enter the market during January and February .
The main macro-economic drivers for farmers to plant blueberries include per capita income growth , urbanisation , and the growing focus on healthy diets . A trend seen in the United States , United Kingdom and Europe is a growth in demand as a result of more people consuming blueberries for the first time and an increase in volumes by those who already consume the fruit .
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SENWES SCENARIO | SOMER � SUMMER 2021 37