The African continent has managed to position itself and carve out a space in the horticultural industry in a surprising way in recent years, especially countries like South Africa, creating concern for some of the main European producers.
Companies like RFL Cargo, dedicated to personalized logistics, which offer a wide variety of services and use all existing means of transportation, have been able to observe the evolution of this process firsthand. This is due to their international experience in the transportation of fruits, vegetables, and other food items.
According to a study by Mordor Intelligence, a company dedicated to market research and analysis, the significant advancement of this sector in South Africa began as a result of COVID-19. Unlike the rest, the horticultural market experienced a breakthrough, which gradually increased exponentially,
Furthermore, it is estimated to achieve a growth of 7.70% in 2029, going from 2.38 million dollars in 2024 to 3.54 million dollars with the import and export of fruits, vegetables, and horticultural products.
Despite the significant improvement in the last five years in some areas of Africa, these figures fall far behind when compared to European countries with a high prominence in the horticultural sector. Spain is a great example of this case, as according to the customs and excise department, which operates under the Ministry of Finance, in 2023 it was able to generate 16.855 billion euros, a very high amount compared to the 2.21 million dollars generated by South Africa in the same year.
However, the first place in the horticultural sector is not taken by Europe but by the Asian continent, as the two main producers in the world are India and China. Both countries, along with the United States, lead this market, with China being the largest player globally.
A perishable industry
This type of products entails a great problem for those companies that are dedicated to food transportation and logistics, since they have an extra difficulty that can cause inconveniences when arriving at their destination in optimal conditions.
It is necessary to work in the right way making use of the necessary methods to avoid these problems. For this reason, specialized professionals such as RFL Cargo, use advanced techniques such as Cold Treatment, allowing to regulate the temperature and atmosphere of perishable products and thus offering the highest quality in each and every one of the logistics services they offer at an international level.
Lack of resources
One of the main disadvantages of fruit and vegetable farming is the scarcity of material goods and raw materials that we have today. This affects each location to a great extent and in different ways, thus causing prices to increase significantly, which causes the difference between countries to be even greater.
Due to these facts, the gap between South Africa and the European powers is even wider, so that, despite the recent horticultural growth of some South African countries, they have not made as much of an impact as they might otherwise have done.
In summary, South Africa has achieved an amazing evolution in the agricultural sector and is expected to continue to grow and develop in the coming years. Despite this, Europe remains a rival to beat as one of the leading importers and exporters of vegetables, fruits and greens.
