South Africa’s potato industry must look beyond production and focus on consumer demand, data-driven decision-making and supply chain efficiency if it wants to remain competitive. This was the message delegates heard at the recent Potato SA Congress and Seed Potato Growers Forum in Johannesburg.
Speakers from across the value chain highlighted that while South African farmers produce quality crops, greater value can be unlocked by improving how potatoes move from farms to consumers and by responding more effectively to changing buying habits.
Stephen Fick, a Limpopo potato producer, said farmers have become highly efficient at harvesting and delivering potatoes quickly, but bottlenecks further along the value chain still limit growth.
“I think we can harvest a potato and deliver it to a certain market in less than 24 hours. But from there, there can be a lot of bottlenecks. If we optimise that part of the value chain, we can stimulate more movement of product, increase product flow and ultimately create more demand,” he said.
Peter van Zyl, head of procurement at Freshmark, said retailers now have unprecedented insight into consumer behaviour and producers should use that information to better plan harvesting and deliveries.
“First, you need to understand what and where the demand is,” he said.
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Van Zyl explained that most potato purchases take place ahead of weekends, meaning growers should plan harvesting and deliveries so that potatoes arrive at distribution centres on Thursdays and Fridays, when consumer demand is highest.
He said the industry would benefit from harvesting and marketing fewer potatoes during the middle of the month, when demand typically declines, while increasing volumes towards month-end to match peak consumer demand.
Van Zyl added that efficient logistics can enable potatoes to reach retail shelves in less than 48 hours after harvest.
Former Absa executive Louis van Zeuner encouraged producers to embrace technological change rather than fear it. “The threat is not the change. The threat is us not moving with the change,” he said.
He added that artificial intelligence (AI) presents an opportunity to process the growing volume of available data and support better business decisions.
Food security starts with affordability
Meanwhile, Dr Carmen Muller, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pretoria specialising in nutrition, food systems and consumer research, said potatoes already play a critical role in South Africa’s food security because they are available year-round, nutritious and widely consumed.
However, she warned that price volatility remains a major obstacle for lower-income households.
“If potatoes are not available at the price consumers expect or can afford, they simply don’t buy them that week,” she said.
Muller explained that low-income households rely on stable prices to plan their food budgets and that potatoes should remain an everyday staple rather than becoming an occasional purchase driven by promotions or discounts.
She noted that potatoes occupy a unique position among South Africa’s staple foods because they are one of the few minimally processed products regularly purchased by consumers.
Sustainability and quality matter
Steven Wolfaardt, sustainability leader at PepsiCo, said consumers increasingly want to know how their food is produced.
“Basic practices such as equitable labour practices, responsible chemical management and water efficiency must already be in place,” he said.
Looking ahead, he believes soil health will become the foundation of sustainable potato production, although solutions will differ according to climate, soil type and farming system.
Louis de Kock, founder of Nile.ag, said digital technology and e-commerce offer opportunities to connect farmers more directly with consumers, provided solutions are adapted to South African conditions.
“As somebody who comes from a farming background, I must be honest: the key is still to make sure production is done well. It doesn’t help having a strong social media presence or distribution network if you don’t have a good product,” De Kock said,
He said many farmers place significant emphasis on negotiating lower input costs but often overlook the premiums that can be achieved through effective marketing and selecting the right sales channels.
De Kock stressed that production efficiency should remain the starting point, ensuring every rand invested in the soil delivers the best possible return. However, he added that choosing the right market channels is where some of the greatest opportunities exist to improve profitability.
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