Govt's role will bear fruit

INQUIRY: COMPETITION COMMISSION SAYS ACTION WILL 'ADDRESS DISTORTIONS'

- Dr Moshe Swartz

State must act to aid small black fresh produce farmers.

The Competition Commission had reason to believe that the National Fresh Fresh Produce Market was beset with inordinate and inequitable accumulation and initiated an inquiry to look into these matters last year.

It also believed there were behaviours and practices emanating from this that were detrimental to competition.

The commission had noted that the participation of black farmers and black market agents in what is now known as the fresh produce market whose value is estimated to exceed R53 billion was "negligible".

The scope of the inquiry into the market was dedicated "to five fruits apples, citrus (particularly oranges and soft citrus), bananas, pears and table grapes; and six vegetables - potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes and spinach".

The commission's provisional report, released last month, "identified 29 practical and reasonable provisional remedial actions and recommendations that could address distortions in the fresh produce market".

With the release of its preliminary findings, the commission has opened up the process for "further and wider engagements with stakeholders".

It is against this background that the Black Agricultural Commodities Federation (BACF), among which are participant communities and producers of many of the fruit and vegetables on which the inquiry was focused, makes this submission.