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Agbiz hosted its second annual Western Cape media day at the Percheron Hall, Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute, near Stellenbosch. The event brought together journalists, industry leaders, and stakeholders to engage in insightful discussions around South African agriculture.
The event’s theme, “Reframing the narrative on South Africa’s fruit sector,” focussed on repositioning the country’s fruit industry within the public narrative by showcasing its economic value, innovation, sustainability efforts, and social impact. The day aimed to counter misinformation and highlight the sector’s role in food security, environmental resilience, and youth empowerment.
Annelize Crosby, manager: Legal Intelligence at Agbiz, said the fruit industry makes a huge contribution to the economy and job creation, providing food and fibre, and earning export revenue. “But there are so many misconceptions about this industry – and with this event we want to address some of those misconceptions to promote our industry, and tell the public and the media exactly what we’re really doing,” Crosby said.
SA’s food security under strain
Mecia Petersen, chief executive officer of the South African Table Grape Industry (Sati), said the latest Stats SA data (2025) indicates that food security has worsened in South Africa. One in five people face some form of food insecurity and approximately one in ten face severe hunger. The Northern Cape is the worst affected, with about 35% of the population facing food insecurity.
According to Petersen, South Africa is food secure at a national level (the country produces enough food), but there is significant household-level food insecurity. Compared to other countries, South Africans generally have to spend a larger share of their income on food. “About half of the population lives below the upper-bound poverty line, and about a quarter live below the food poverty line,” Petersen said.
Be aware of GobalGap
Michael Esmeraldo, managing director of Netafim Southern & East Africa, spoke about the harsh reality of the water squeeze and agriculture’s growing responsibility to use water more efficiently. He warned farmers that GlobalGap will, at some stage, put a limit on the amount of water that can be used to grow a certain crop. The consumers will insist on it.
He also said farmers need to be held more accountable if they go over their water allocation. When they use their water and there is wastage in the system due to negligence in the maintenance, there should be repercussions. ”There is not enough monitoring of water use.”
Esmeraldo suggested that subsidising water-efficient technologies must be considered, noting that similar initiatives have proven successful in other countries – and South Africa could learn from it. “I also think banks need to start offering accessible finance options for water-efficient irrigation technologies.
We need to start being proactive in our approach to water saving in South Africa. There is still a lot of room for improvement. There are tools and technology available to help and they should be used,” Esmeraldo said.
Great potential for expansion
Wolfe Braude, manager at Agbiz Fruit, said South Africa’s agricultural industry must retain access to, and maximise access to existing markets, such as the United Kingdom (UK), Europe, the United States (US), Southern African Customs Union (Sacu), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). At the same time, the industry must unlock new market access in high-tariff markets (Asia) where South Africa does not have trade agreements or expand access in low-tariff markets (Middle East) where South African products can grow even without trade agreements.
There is great potential for expansion. In China, South Africa supplies only 0,5 % of an agricultural import market of over $200 billion. “In Saudi Arabia, we supply less than 1% of an agricultural import market of $30 billion, in the UAE we supply 2% of a $32 billion market, and in Vietnam it is less than 0,3 % of a $32 billion market,” Braude said. – Hugo Lochner, Plaas Media
