In early 1969 the price to canners, excluding rebates, was quoted at SI 68 per ton, f.o.b. Durban. Transportation and 

 other costs connected with moving the sugar to canneries added about $22 to that price. 



Labor 



The striking feature of canneries in South Africa is the labor intensiveness of their operations. Large 

 numbers of seasonal workers, especially women, are employed, on a much more extensive scale than in California 

 canneries. This vast use of labor reflects the very low wages paid. Also, canners report that productivity of labor does 

 not measure up to that in the United States, necessitating the use of more labor to do a particular job than is needed 

 in California. 



Minimum wages per 46-hour week for cannery workers are established by a Conciliation Board. These 

 wages, which vary somewhat by district, in effect in 1969 and to continue through May 1971 for a number of job 

 descriptions, are as follows: 



Minimum 

 Job description weekly 



wage 



Dollars 

 Women, 18 years or older, involved in washing, sorting, peeling or trimming fruit by hand 8.68-10.01 



Fruit checker 9.00-11.13 



Can packer 9.59-10.78 



Peach pitting-machine feeder, female 9.59-10.78 



Automatic double seaming-machine attendant 14.46-17.92 



Supervisor, male 14.46-17.96 



Piece work wages are also paid. Employees engaged in such work are subject to the minimum wage scale. For 

 overtime work, rates not less than one-and-one-third times regular wages are paid, except on holidays, when wage 

 rates must be doubled. 



Despite the abundance of labor in South Africa, canners report difficulty securing the services of skilled or 

 trained workers. This appears to be a problem throughout the country. 



Products 



A variety of deciduous fruit products are packed in the Cape Province but canners specialize in four basic 

 items: canned peaches, pears, apricots, and mixed fruit. Since only the cooperative operates more than one plant in 

 the producing area, it is able to, and does to some extent, separate the production of these items among its plants. 

 The combined output of the four products nearly doubled from 1958-66. Other canned items produced, on a small 

 scale, include apples, two fruits, grapes, plums, and jams and jellies. Some canners also process vegetables such as 

 peas and tomatoes in the off-season. 



Of the principal products, only packs of canned apricots have failed to show an upward trend. Canned 

 peaches, by far the most important item produced, reached a high of 4.9 million cases in 1967 compared with less 

 than 2Vi million cases produced annually before 1961. Although the pack has not exceeded the 1967 volume in 

 subsequent years, it is expected to soon resume the upward trend and exceed SVi million cases within a few years. 

 An estimated 4.8 million cases were produced in 1969. The processing yield reportedly dropped below the normal 

 50 cases per ton because of poorer quality fruit, resulting in a pack below expectations. 



Kakamas and related-variety cling peaches have a deep golden color and a relatively firm texture when 

 canned. They also commonly have an extended pit, of which the tip is difficult to remove. Split pits, which also are 

 troublesome during processing, are common among early varieties. 



Both clingstone slices and halves in syrup are produced in volume. In 1968, mostly slices were packed for 

 the United Kingdom market, whereas sales to continental Europe consisted primarily of peach halves. 



Fruit cocktail is a fairly recent addition to canners' product lines and has proved to be a very popular item, 

 meeting with good acceptance in world markets. The pack exceeded 760,000 cases in 1968 after increasing steadily 



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