South African sweet potato production is small but the quality is good

During the summer months, Dole France imports sweet potatoes from South Africa. This is an origin whose production has been totally reconsidered in recent years. It is generally less present but of better quality. "We work with this origin from May to August. Generally speaking, it is losing ground in terms of production and volumes. This is essentially due to the fact that two major sweet potato producers in South Africa have decided to drastically reduce their production areas. This decision was taken following the exponential rise in production costs in the post-covid period, which meant that the product could no longer absorb the extra costs. The decision to reduce production areas was taken in order to create a niche market for sweet potatoes in South Africa, which represents around 800-1,000 tons today for the French market," explains Timothée Levesque, senior product manager at Dole France.

Better value for money
This strategy seems to be paying off, since sweet potatoes are now more highly valued. "Consumption is on the rise, with a good sales dynamic. We feel that the price adjustments mainly linked to the lack of products have been made. A sweet potato that we sold for 1 euro/kg [1.09 USD/kg] 4 years ago is now selling for 1.40-1.50 euro [1.5-1.6 USD]. These prices now allow us to remunerate the growers and reallocate land to stimulate sweet potato production."

Improved quality
This decision has also had a positive effect on the quality of the product. "For 3 years now, we have seen a significant improvement in the quality of South African sweet potatoes, which have clearly become a quality origin. This turnaround is linked to the choice of varieties and the expertise of the two exporters, who transport the product in very good conditions. But the segmentation of their market has also helped. It enables them to reserve medium and large sizes for continental Europe, and to repackage small sizes that sell poorly in France for countries such as England. This way, there is less pressure on volumes and a higher level of quality."

The development remains limited
Despite this revitalization of the crop, the development of sweet potatoes in South Africa still remains limited. "The economic conditions for the production of sweet potatoes are difficult. Competition with other, much more profitable products such as onions, is strong, which does not favour the development of this crop. Finally, in order to export sweet potatoes in good condition, curing is essential, but not everyone has the technical capacity to do this."