The Canned Deciduous Fruit Industry 



of South Africa 



By Richard B. Schroeter 

 Fruit and Vegetable Division 



INTRODUCTION 



The Republic of South Africa ranks among the three leading exporters of canned fruits, along with 

 Australia and the United States. Although South Africa's production is very small in comparison with that in the 

 United States, it is greatly amplified by the almost complete reliance on export trade as a means of disposal. In sharp 

 contrast to the industry in the United States, the South African industry has been wed to the export market because 

 of low domestic consumption and looks first to that market for sales. 



Until recently, the industry's influence in world trade had been molded by its dependence on one importing 

 country, the United Kingdom. Now, the factors which shaped the industry and its trade patterns are changing and 

 with them the distribution of South Africa's exports. The pre-1968 Commonwealth tariff preference in the United 

 Kingdom for South Africa's canned peaches will be halved by 1972. Devaluation of the British currency has shaved 

 canners' profit margins, tending to equalize returns in the United Kingdom and other markets. The continuing threat 

 of the United Kingdom's joining the European Community (EC) further clouds the viability of that market for 

 South African products. And, the industry faces an expansionary future in the production of cling peaches and 

 pears, which is pressuring canners to diversify their sales pattern. 



These developments have all combined to make the phrase "packed in South Africa" an increasingly 

 common sight in continental European supermarkets. The canned products labeled with those words, especially 

 canned peaches and fruit cocktail, are likely to become even more prominent. 



FRESH FRUIT 



Producing areas 



South Africa's deciduous fruits for canning (principally apricots, peaches, and pears) are virtually all 

 produced in the Cape Province, on the southernmost tip of Africa. The bulk of this production originates in a series 

 of scenic valleys in the Western Cape within a 100-mile radius of Cape Town. Apricot and peach production is 

 centered near or around the municipalities and districts of Tulbagh, Ceres, Paarl, Robertson, Worcester and Montagu. 

 Pears for canning also are heavily produced in those areas and in the Langkloof region of the Eastern Cape Province. 



One exception to the Cape Province's near monopoly on canning fruits are cherries for fruit cocktail which 

 are grown in the Orange Free State. Cling peaches are produced in the Transvaal but these are of no importance in 

 the canning industry. 



Since South Africa lies in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are reversed from those in the United 

 States. December-March are summer months while June-August are in the winter season. This greatly enhances the 



