SHAFFE – The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters has elected Dr. Konanani Liphadzi (CEO: Fruit South Africa) as the new president of the association. The election took place during the Annual General Meeting of the association on the 7th of February 2019 in Berlin, during the 27th Fruit Logistica fresh produce trade show. The presidency of South Africa takes over from the presidency of New Zealand that was held by Mr. Alan Pollard (New Zealand Apple and Pears Inc). The vice-presidency will be taken over by Mr. Ronald Bown (Asociación de Exportadores de Frutas de Chile AG)
Ms. Konanani Liphadzi is the current C.E.O of Fruit South Africa, an organisation that supports the South African fruit producers on market access matters, as well as driving the industry agenda locally. She has been shaping the priorities of SHAFFE over the past two years in her role as vice-president, during the period 2017-19. Ms. Liphadzi looks forward to the upcoming presidency: „SHAFFE is a great network of exchange among the key players in the Southern Hemisphere, which allows continuous learning from each other. We will continue to work towards better internal exchange on relevant policy developments in the area of food safety and plant health, but also towards improved visibility of the organisation as such!“ Amongst her key delivarables are continued implementation of results from the strategy review in 2017, as well as driving efficiency in internal and external communication.
Southern Hemisphere countries, which include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay, are amongst the most active traders worldwide. In total, SHAFFE countries comprise an export volume of approximately 9 million tonnes and a market value of 12.5 billion USD. This constitutes a total of 20% of the global export market. SHAFFE is the global umbrella and was founded in the early 1990s. The association provides critical market intelligence for its members and helps to maintain sustainable export growth from the Southern Hemisphere into the rest of the globe.
Continued analysis of the evolving business landscape locally, as well as in the Northern Hemisphere was highlighted as a priority. Of particular importance is collection of key data, e.g. on exports, as well as the growing range of plantings, to allow for more accurate market forecasts. The coming years are likely to see increased regulatory changes, especially pertaining to food safety and plant health. So, we remain poised for challenging trade policies by key trading partners in the Northern Hemishpere. Changing climatic conditions are also bound to impact production.
The members of SHAFFE thank Mr. Alan Pollard from New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc. for his dedicated work during his presidency and for his perseverance in raising cogniscance regarding growing biosecurity challenges relevant to global trading operations.
