The Potato and Vegetable Processors Forum – which includes McCain Foods SA, Potatoes SA, Nature’s Garden and Lamberts Bay Foods – on Tuesday said the potato industry was under threat owing to a surplus of frozen and processed potato products coming in from Europe.Potatoes SA CEO André Jooste said the EU had an unfair comparative advantage – owing to its ability to produce goods and services at a lower opportunity cost than that of trade partners – over South Africa.
According to Potatoes SA, the potato is the leading consumable vegetable in the country and globally because of its affordability and nutrient content . In South Africa, potato contributes about 45% of the vegetable sales and is a key product from both commercial and emerging farmers. While the domestic market struggles with the demand slump from the Covid-19 lockdown, the imports of processed potato products such as potato chips pose a significant threat to the survival of the local potato industry.Agriculturist Thabiso Mdletshe said the closure of fast food outlets, restaurants, hotels and informal trading heavily affected potato demand, which consequently suppressed potato producer prices.
In May the EU announced a €650 million Dutch scheme that compensated companies in the floriculture, specialty horticulture and potato sectors for the loss of revenue or additional costs related to the collapse in demand of their products. The PVPF also said South Africa was a key destination for processed potato product exports from the EU, where there is a history of dumping, which is set to have a negative impact on the country’s agricultural sector and surrounding communities.
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Importing cheap potatoes from EU 'catastrophic' for local industryThe Potato and Vegetable Processors Forum (PVPF) is lobbying the government to impose a temporary prohibition on imports of frozen potato chips from the EU as a result of market conditions brought on by Covid-19.
Source: TimesLIVE - 🏆 28. / 59 Read more »
Importing cheap potatoes from EU 'catastrophic' for local industryThe Potato and Vegetable Processors Forum (PVPF) is lobbying the government to impose a temporary prohibition on imports of frozen potato chips from the EU as a result of market conditions brought on by Covid-19.
Source: TimesLIVE - 🏆 28. / 59 Read more »