South African fresh produce exporters will showcase their products on the global stage at the upcoming Fruit Logistica Berlin 2025, with the support of the department of trade, industry and competition. The event, scheduled from 5-7 February 2025 in Germany, will feature a South African National Pavilion, highlighting the country’s vibrant fresh produce sector.
Fruit Logistica is a premier annual exhibition for the international fresh produce trade, covering unprocessed fruit and vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, and herbs. As one of the world’s most influential trade fairs in the sector, it attracts over 140 exhibitors and approximately 60 000 visitors, offering key networking opportunities with European and global buyers.
Taking SA’s fresh produce to the world
According to Lerato Mataboge, deputy director-general of exports, the department’s support is aimed at boosting South Africa’s industrialisation drive by strengthening exporters’ access to international markets.
“Our department offered support to the firms in order to increase their export capacity and access to global markets. For a number of years, Fruit Logistica Berlin has been one of the few flagship national pavilions of the department in Europe. During South Africa’s last participation at Fruit Logistica, export sales at the event and six months after amounted to more than R400 million,” Mataboge said.
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She emphasised that the South African National Pavilion will serve as a crucial platform to promote local produce and connect participating companies with industry role players.
“Our pavilion will also offer participating companies an opportunity to identify potential partners, agents and joint venture opportunities,” Mataboge said.
A Limpopo company based in Zebediela is heading to Germany next week in search of export opportunities in Europe and beyond for their stone fruits.
A chance of a lifetime
The director of Ground Stone, Dibesho Serage, said he is looking forward to the trip to Germany as it will provide him with an opportunity to search for markets for his company’s produce in Europe and beyond.
“Fruit Logistica is a popular trade exhibition that attracts buyers, distributors, importers and fellow producers from different parts of the world. All of them are looking for good fruits that they can import from anywhere in the world. This will be a perfect platform for us to network with all of them with the aim of obtaining orders that can result in us exporting our products to other international markets.
“Securing an export market will enable us to increase both our production and the number of employees. Currently, we have 15 full-time employees, the majority of whom are women. We add eight more people when it is harvesting time.”
Serage said it would make them happier to create employment for more people in the area, as well as increase their contribution to the economy of the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality in particular, and Limpopo in general.
“Having grown up in a village where every yard had a successful fruit tree, an orchard was a natural choice to start. A battery of soil tests and research led me to the Western Cape where I found the types of cultivars suitable for the Zebediela climatic conditions,” he said.
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