Highlights of the Southern Hemisphere Fresh Fruit Trade Congress: Keeping the world supplied

Fresh Grape

South Africa

Fresh Apple

Brazil

Published Mar 31, 2021

The recent conference held by the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters aimed at bringing the fruit industries in Southern and Northern closer this year. The member countries included Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay. The event was opened by the speech of UN FAO Deputy Director-General following which the conference covered important topics like marketing intelligence, trade flows and recent trends in the industry.

The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE) was founded in the 1990s to create a network of food exporters and growers in the Southern hemisphere. The association includes Southern Hemisphere countries like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, and Uruguay.

The SHAFFE held its first online congress on 25th March 2021, intending to bring the fruit industries in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere closer in the upcoming year. The congress focuses on "Keeping the world supplied," which has become an important topic after the COVID-19 pandemic induced logistic problems and border closures.

The conference was opened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol with a speech on the Fruit industry's significance in the global agri-food systems. The conference included:

Targeted market intelligence.
Discussion on trade flows and figures.
Views on crop trends and outlooks given by industry experts.

The conference highlighted the performance of the Southern Hemisphere despite the COVID-19 that affected production and trade operations. Even though the volume of fruit exports made by the member countries decreased by 8%, the value of fruit exports increased by 5%, showing how Southern Hemisphere traders secured continuous fruit supply in 2020.

Grapes, kiwifruits, blueberries, and apples made up 57%of the total exports made by SHAFFE member countries. In terms of volume, cherry exports have grown the most significant increase of 110%, followed by blueberries with a 72% increase. China was recognized as the fastest-growing export destination for the member countries, with about 90% in value in the last five years. Japan also saw an increase of 52%, followed by the Netherlands, with about 28%.

Apart from discussing the trade-related intelligence, SHAFFE highlighted the climate problem, which has increased the frequency and intensity of prolonged drought or unexpected heavy rainfall. The conference also focused on how the pandemic has become a significant challenge to obtain sufficient labor force to harvest the crop. Harvest of fruits has been impacted severely due to delays and shortage of laborers as many countries were under lockdown and practiced social distancing. Trade barriers created by governments of different countries had influenced the production numbers across many countries. Tariff barriers in specific markets have prevented growth and lead to more produce going to low-tariff countries.