In South Africa's stone fruit industry, producers face a complex combination of global market volatility, adverse weather conditions, and persistent port disruptions.
Although long-term foundations such as variety renewal and expanded market access remain strong, key subsectors, such as stone fruits, are recovering after one of the toughest seasons in history.
Jacques Du Pre, the new CEO of Hortgro, discussed his vision for developing this industry organization representing South African apple and stone fruit producers with Food For Mzansi. He spoke about plans to manage the organization during a downturn to achieve sustainable growth.
Du Pre noted that despite global and local challenges, the future looks promising. He expressed optimism about the future of the stone fruit industry, citing variety composition, orchard age, new market openings, and increasing access to them.
He emphasized that the 2025/2026 season was likely the worst for stone fruits in history, leading to significant losses for farmers. The main issues remain logistics, especially at the Port of Cape Town and the container terminal, and he believes that a period of recovery will follow once these issues are resolved.
Responding to questions about his five-year vision, Du Pre stated that he has a big task ahead, as his predecessor worked in the industry for over 37 years. His short-term goal is to ensure a smooth transition using a stable foundation. He advocates for evolution, not revolution, but insists on the need to monitor technology, the changing world, and markets.
The main current problem is logistics, which costs billions of rand, so stabilizing ports and logistics is necessary. Furthermore, research and development must be pursued to counteract the negative impact of adverse weather on production, as well as opening new markets and diversifying risks.
The state of the fruit industry varies depending on the type of fruit. In the case of stone fruits, the situation is critical, and he believes that few farmers will be able to earn this year, mainly due to logistical problems, which he called the 'Achilles' heel'. He stressed that even when producing high-quality fruit, if it cannot be delivered to the market in proper condition and on time to become a preferred supplier, it represents the greatest risk.
Additionally, adaptation to weather conditions, particularly in terms of production methods, is necessary to cope with extreme weather events.
To enhance climate resilience, the industry invests significant portions of its collective revenue into research and development, as well as technology transfer. This includes studying new production methods, using netting structures to save water, and implementing precision agriculture to increase yield on smaller areas with fewer resources.
Nevertheless, pressure on water resources is palpable. Farmers recognize themselves as stewards of the environment, biodiversity, and water, so they strive not to waste water. However, in the future, they will need to learn to farm with less water. Specifically, competition between cities like Cape Town and some production regions is intensifying in the Western Cape, which is viewed as a serious future risk.
Opportunities in international markets also depend on the type of fruit. Stone fruits are heavily dependent on the UK, the European Union, and the Middle East. The conflict in the Middle East creates serious challenges, although demand remains high there; however, the issue lies in the delivery of the fruit and the cost of that delivery, which reduces profit.
In contrast, apples have achieved significant diversification over the last ten years. Africa is the largest market, followed by Far East Asia. India shows impressive growth for both apples and pears. Access for stone fruits to China was recently gained.
In the upcoming season, starting in a couple of weeks, there will be opportunities for shipments from the beginning of the season. Cherries, which gained access to China a week ago, are also a relevant topic.