New Initiatives in Southern Hemisphere Fruit Exports

The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE) was founded in the early 1990’s from the leading trade organisations from Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay.

The idea was to form a common platform for exchange on the most crucial market access matters in Northern Hemisphere markets, including phytosanitary protocols, food safety, consumption, and trade trends. In its more than 30 years of existence, SHAFFE has undertaken important initiatives, such as setting up data-sharing on key crops, organize global membership forums, develop joint research initiatives, analyse and monitor policy changes in global markets as well as provided important exchange and learning opportunities amongst its members. With the digital era kicking in its members developed a strategic plan of action with the objective of connecting the Southern Hemisphere’s fresh fruit industry through knowledge-sharing, facilitating market access and promoting global fruit trade. With a renewed Secretariat and a new presidency led by Mr. Charif Christian Carvajal M. from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) and Ms. Marta Bentancur from Upefruy Uruguay, the organisation is focusing on strengthening resource availability, creating a supportive environment for formation of fruit trade professionals, developing closer collaborations with other similar industry bodies, modernizing information sharing, and communicating the role and contribution of SHAFFE to the global produce trade. With the objective of bringing Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere industries closer together in a period of limited travel and to allow better planning for the upcoming year, SHAFFE kicked off 2021 with its very first “Southern Hemisphere Fresh Fruit Trade Congress” under the defining theme “Keeping the world supplied” in the last week of March 2021. John Giles of Promar International Ltd, who has years-long experience in cooperating with trade associations, attended the conference and chronicles the strategic evolution of the organisation. “SHAFFE is in many ways a remarkable

With the digital era organisation. Together, the countries kicking in its members involved account for around 11 million developed a strategic plan of action with the objective tonnes of fruit exports, worth some US$14 billion and which account for about 25% of world trade. SHAFFE’s of connecting the southern first online congress bought together

Hemisphere’s fresh over 326 delegates from around the fruit industry through world. What struck me, in particular, knowledge-sharing, was how much these countries have facilitating market access and promoting global in common, despite to some extent all being in competition with each other,”said Giles. fruit trade. Among the challenges they all have to overcome the next few years — as well as the opportunities they have to take advantage of — include the following: • Fruit consumption in many parts of the world is still below the recommended levels as set by the WHO. • Considerable disruption to international trade caused by the COVID pandemic

requires a need a need for the redevelopment of dynamic and resilient trade infrastructure. • There is a need to meet the challenges of climate change, water scarcity and the development of a more holistic view of sustainability and what it means. • The adoption of so-called “green tech” presents the opportunities for better crop yields, reduced wastage, reduced costs of production and better levels of efficiency. • There needs to be more collaboration between governmental/NGO organisations and the private sector in more agile, innovative and proactive partnerships to bring about “transformative change.” • There is a common issue with the availability and movement of seasonal labour. • The better use of e-commerce and trends toward healthy eating are great opportunities and key market-drivers for the future. • There will be new plantings and the development of new varieties across the SHAFFE countries. • There is concern over the rising cost of agricultural inputs and the increase in domestic protectionism and

“eat local” campaigns. The feedback received suggests that despite the obvious challenges ahead, optimism in SHAFFE is high: 70% of respondents in a SHAFFE survey felt that 2021 would be a good export season, and 80% thought that the future prospects over the next 5 years were similarly positive. It seems to me that many agri food sectors around the world could learn from the collaborative approach of SHAFFE taken to tackling common problems, such as knowledge-sharing and tech-transfer work, market access covering both tariff and non-tariff barriers, the development of sustainable agricultural and horticultural production and global trade development. But as the newly elected President of SHAFFE, Charif Christian Carvajal also said: “SHAFFE, will only be as strong as its most proactive members”. Never a truer word was spoken. By: N Hajdu and J Giles.

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