For the first time since deregulation in the nineties the fragmentation of the soft fruit sector is something of the past and is now fully and well structured. Producers and the sector as a whole can now trade together, instead of competing as much as possible with each other.

This according to Mr.Stefan Conradie, product manager pit - and stone fruit at Hortgro Services (previously Sagtevrugteprodusentetrust). Although the 2009 production year was a very difficult year because of the recession and the strong Rand, he expects a big change this year.

Demand for soft fruit on their traditional markets decreased sharply, because under such circumstances fruit does not really have a voice to call attention to itself. When people loose their jobs and have to be careful with spending money it cannot just be accepted that fruit will be bought because it is healthy.

Why will things change during 2010?
Conradie says, that despite the problems sales were well stimulated by the large scale market development project with plums, which ran from January till March, mainly in Great Britain and Germany.

This trial project was very successful and the project will be enlarged upon (and has already started in December) into Belgium and the Netherlands. In due course the project may be extended to countries outside of Europe, such as countries in the Middle and Far East.

The aim of the project is to teach the foreign customer of fruit about the uniqueness of first class fruit grown in a unique country offering many tourist attractions as well. Another aim is for the South African fruit to obtain sufficient shelve space in the future and this combines well with the worldcup soccer tournament in that country.

`We want to create a demand, because that is the only way in which better prices will be obtained in the future` according to Conradie.