[Press Release] 2nd SHAFFE Online Congress Speakers Announced

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The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE) will be hosting the second Southern Hemisphere Fresh Fruit Trade Congress on March 30, 2022, via an online format under the guiding theme of “the new reality of Southern Hemisphere exports.” The event program will explore the rising costs impacting fresh fruit exporters and growers in the region, the opportunities and challenges in mega markets such as India and China, and the current state of play of sustainability requirements in Europe and the United States and will serve to outline the Southern Hemisphere season outlook for 2022/23.

Together with panelists from the region, including representatives from South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, part of the program will address the current cost increases along the supply chain. According to Anton Kruger, CEO of the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (South Africa) and confirmed panelist in the congress, “Tripling container rates, increasing costs for services and inputs and the cascading effects of the economic sanctions taken on Russia challenge the long-term economic viability of the Southern Hemisphere fruit sector.”

Additionally, leading suppliers of key commodities from Australia, Chile, New Zealand and Peru will also review during the online event the current global market situation. Speakers confirmed to date include Ben McLeod, sales and marketing director at Mr Apple (New Zealand), and Jason Bosch, general manager of Origin Direct Asia (South Africa), who will share an overview of the current developments in Asia. The program will also include leading trade experts such as Sumit Saran, director of SS Associates and an expert on the Indian fruit import and retail market, and Kurt Huang, deputy secretary general of the Fruit Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products, who will be reviewing the characteristics of the Chinese fruit import market.

Furthermore, the congress will also serve as an important platform from which to review the current sustainability requirements impacting the sector. According to Marta Bentancur, current SHAFFE vice president and representative of Upefruy (Uruguay), “The congress is an excellent opportunity to review the opportunities and challenges sustainability represents for Southern Hemisphere fruit production now and for future generations.”

Finally, according to Charif Christian Carvajal, president of SHAFFE and representative of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX, Chile), “This year’s congress is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to review from a Southern Hemisphere perspective those issues that are shaping the new reality for the region’s global exports, including global supply chain challenges and increasing costs of production, the road ahead in regard to sustainability, opportunities in mega markets such as China and India, and a general season outlook for 2022/2023.”

For more information and registration to the online congress please visit www.shaffe.net. Participation is free, and simultaneous translation in Chinese and Spanish will be provided. For further inquiries, please contact the SHAFFE secretariat at secretariat@shaffe.net.

About SHAFFE

SHAFFE is the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters, a trade entity composed of the leading fresh produce trade associations from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay. Its member countries represent 25% of the total fresh fruit global supply, which is equivalent to 11 million metric tons of fresh fruit exports with a value of $15.8 billion.

Image: SHAFFE