South Africa’s once-resilient fresh produce market system is now facing a critical moment, warned minister John Steenhuisen at a recent RSA Group stakeholder dinner. Speaking to a full room of farmers, agri-leaders and supply chain players, Steenhuisen acknowledged the mounting pressure on the country’s food logistics infrastructure.
Steenhuisen warned that South Africa’s open market system, long regarded as efficient and resilient, is under serious threat due to infrastructure failures.
“This very system is now under threat. The long-standing and well-documented failures in infrastructure, from crumbling roads and unreliable power to underperforming ports and degraded fresh produce markets, pose an existential risk.
“You have lived it. You have worked around it, and increasingly, you are reaching the limits of what can be absorbed privately. I want you to know – we hear you,” Steenhuisen said.
The minister outlined current efforts to restore and revitalise infrastructure, including work with the presidency and relevant departments to prioritise agri-logistics within the National Logistics Crisis Committee.
“This includes calls to prioritise the revitalisation of rural branch rail lines, address inland cold chain bottlenecks, and improve port performance, especially in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, where produce delays are most acute,” he said.
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Urgent call for market upgrades
In a direct response to deteriorating fresh produce markets, Steenhuisen said, “In May and June this year, I wrote formally to the executive mayor of Johannesburg and the city manager of eThekwini, urging them to prioritise capital upgrades and maintenance of the Johannesburg and Durban markets, respectively.”
He added that the R3.2 billion “Smart Market” proposal by the Joburg Market, an initiative aimed at upgrading infrastructure, introducing digital systems for market operations, and developing integrated cold chain and logistics networks, was under review. The initiative aims to upgrade infrastructure, introduce digital systems for market operations, and develop integrated cold chain and logistics networks.
He called for cooperative revitalisation efforts, saying, “Fresh produce markets are national economic assets, and they require shared stewardship between all spheres of government and the private sector.”
Steenhuisen assured the industry that regulatory challenges are also under the spotlight. “We are reviewing all regulatory bottlenecks that slow down investment in storage, transport, and market infrastructure.”
Closing his address, Steenhuisen urged continued collaboration.
“Let us never lose sight of the fact that in every crate of produce moved, in every trade route defended, and in every informal vendor supplied, we are doing something far bigger than business. We are feeding a nation,” Steenhuisen said.
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