For South Africa’s largest exporter of apples and pears, Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, a company wholly owned by the growers at Two-a-Day in Grabouw and Ceres Fruit Growers, news that China now welcomes pears from South Africa is a good way to begin the year.
“We are cautiously optimistic about the positive impact that additional sales into China will have on our growers. We saw good growth in apple sales to China despite a slow start. We expect pears to follow a similar trajectory but within a shorter period of time,” says Tru-Cape Managing Director, Roelf Pienaar.
According to Tru-Cape, the company was a forerunner in establishing relationships in China and today is benefiting from a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and relationships with retailers. “Even before trade with China was approved, Tru-Cape projected that China could become an important destination for South African pears. I think the benefit of the last few years of exporting apples to China will definitely speed things up as we understand the Chinese market better and have built on existing relationships with certain Chinese retailers, ” Pienaar says.
“While early days still, the apple and pear crop for 2022 looks very good and we excited about what we will be able to offer our customers in South Africa and also in 105 countries abroad,” Pienaar says adding that pear varieties like Packham’s Triumph, the company’s third most produced fruit variety, and Forelle along with blush pears like Cheeky are expected to find favour in China.
“Headwinds on the horizon include on-going logistical challenges and rising shipping costs, which will seriously impact overall profitability and our ability to service markets around the globe,” Pienaar ends.
See Tru-Cape.com
