PUBLISHER: Euro Fruit (www.fruitnet.com)
South African deciduous fruit grower organisation Hortgro said that it has enjoyed a successful apple and pear season in the UK market despite challenges such as Brexit and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The organisation said that it had seen a 9 per cent increase in this year’s apple and pear exports, with approximately 33m cartons of apples being exported worldwide.
The UK was the third-largest single export destination for the country’s apples, receiving 6.1m units and taking 19 per cent of all exports.
Some 15.5m cartons of pears were exported globally, of which 1m units were sent to the UK – an increase of 36 per cent on the previous year.
“Despite many challenges, such as logistical problems at ports and global disruption of logistical chains, the South African pome fruit growers again showed their agility and ability to adapt to strenuous conditions, and still managed to deliver a phenomenal harvest – surpassing all expectations,” said Jacques du Preez, Hortgro general manager of trade and markets.