Off-field events shaping the fviture: Last year the South African fruit export industry celebrated one of its best seasons on record, but it now faces tougher tinnes as uncertainty clouds a number of areas

摘要

The South African fresh produce industry will remember 2009 as the year in which it crashed to earth with a bump following the previous year's successes. With the citrus and apple sectors still some time away from wrapping up the season, it is clear that farm income will drop dramatically compared with last year's record returns. Now the industry is facing the task of preparing for a tougher season, with new realities emerging from the fall-out of the worldwide economic crisis and other external influences likely to make growers' lives difficult.