Strawberries attract new farmers every year: it seems an easy, high-value crop with a quick growth cycle that doesn't require the amounts of capital inputs of other fruit types. However, this might be one of those years during which South African strawberry farmers are whittled away by the realities of market demand. One strawberry trader bluntly says there were just too many strawberry growers this year, and it affected the market.
"The guys come in with one, or two, or three hectares and think they're going to make millions. They're not going to. You've got to go big with strawberries and you have to go right through [the year]."
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He continues: "With the volumes we were getting, there was not much we could about it. When you've got too much supply and the demand isn't there: that's the situation we were in this year."
At its most plentiful, 250g punnets sold for R3 (0.15 euro) to R4 (0.2 euro), far below breakeven costs, especially for fruit trucked up from the Western Cape.
During October 2023, strawberry punnets sold at the Johannesburg and Tshwane market obtained an average price 24% higher than over the past month. In general, traders reckon, prices were 15% to 30% lower this year.
A strawberry grower cautions that the reports of the "insatiable" demand for strawberries from the Middle East need to be tempered with the realisation that exports are only viable when the quality is first class.