Having emerged in one piece from the listeria crisis in 2018, South Africa’s swine industry once again held up during this year’s COVID-19 lockdown, which was implemented on 26 March.
But while our producers fare excellently compared to our European counterparts, the pork industry in South Africa has also been biting the bullet with innovation and optimism in uncertain times and a volatile economic climate.
FarmBiz knocked on the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation, SAPPO’s door, to learn more from their CEO, Johann Kotzé, about the current state of affairs. SAPPO serves the entire pork value chain in South Africa, with its focus on sustainability and profitability. SAPPO’s Portfolio Committee for Emerging Farmers, for example, coordinates and manages emerging farmers’ projects countrywide.
Forging ahead despite setbacks
Role-players will remember that South Africa’s pork industry was hard hit by a listeria outbreak in 2018. Those in the know will also remember that the crisis was turned around within a mere six months, when the market was reopened for the sale of processed meat. To top it off, more pork was sold in the same year than ever before.
“While it was a devastating blow for our processed meat division, we continued to sell fresh meat,” says Johann. “We have a lot of faith in our producers and, despite setbacks, South Africa’s pork industry is an optimistic bunch of people who will always look at how it can make things work in favour of the industry. When the listeria outbreak presented, we addressed the problem and adjusted to the best of our ability.
This story is from the June 2020 edition of FarmBiz.
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This story is from the June 2020 edition of FarmBiz.
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