Moving forward
South Africa: Farmsecure Fruit and the Asian fruit market
With over 4700 employees, the Farmsecure family of companies operates throughout South Africa’s nine provinces. With its contribution to every part of the agricultural value chain, it ensures that its farmer partners and farming operations are truly sustainable and profitable, achieving its vision to contribute to world food security.
Farmsecure Fruit operates from six strategically placed farms spread across South Africa and produces a larger variety of fruit. It boasts an impressive variety of citrus fruit, apples, pears, stone fruit, grapes and pomegranates which are exported nearly year-round.
In September this year, Farmsecure Fruit was proud to be one of the 341 exhibitors at Asia Fruit Logistica, the world’s largest fresh produce exhibit, now in its sixth year.
As a top citrus producer in South Africa, with a large basket of varieties from strategically placed farming operations around the country, the Farmsecure stall was a popular and busy one. Importers, wholesalers and retailers from the Middle East visited the stall, indicating a growing market for Farmsecure Fruit.
As a true farmer and grower of its own fruit, Farmsecure was excited to have the opportunity to interact with new and existing clients at Fruit Logistica in order to tailor specific programmes to their customers’ needs.
According to Suzanne Fourie, a member of the Farmsecure Fruit Marketing team, it was exciting to experience the full potential of this fast-developing market and to learn more about their unique needs.
In recent years, premium fruit markets have begun to shift, partially due to the economic recession in Europe as well as the development of economic expansion in China and other countries in the Far East.
According to Bradley Yazbek, Farmsecure Fruit Marketing Manager, Europe was the leading destination for South Africa’s top quality fruit for many years; but an increased demand in China, Japan and other countries in the region meant that in 2012, Europe made up only 42% of Farmsecure Fruit’s total exports, with the Far East procuring 37% and the Middle East 21%.
With these growing markets in mind, over the next five years Farmsecure Fruit aims to establish a firm base in the Asian market and aspires to be known as a reliable, consistent supplier of quality fruit. It intends to sell at least 50% of its fruit in the fast-growing markets like China, Russia, India and South East Asia. In order to continue to be a valuable fruit supplier to international markets, Farmsecure Fruit will continue to study consumer behaviour in order to establish varieties that will match its long-term plan.
These are exciting times in the fruit industry, and Farmsecure is eager to meet the growing demand for fruit in Asia and become a household brand recognised for its quality and consistency.
For more information contact:
Chantal Yazbek
Farmsecure
Tel: +27 (0) 21 974 1950
[email protected]
www.farmsecure.co.za