RSA Fairtrade citrus New York promo

Gerrit Van Der Merwe (left), chairman of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum, speaking with a customer at the a New York City Food Emporium

Numerous food outlets in New York are set to feature Fairtrade citrus from South Africa this week as part of the 11-year Harvest of Hope programme.

16 stores in Manhattan will take part in the promotion, which is made up of more than 350 farmers from the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum (WCCPF).

Harvest of Hope supports initiatives such as education, training, healthcare and childcare, and is also supported by wine and table grape farms as well as deciduous fruit producers.

Gerrit van der Merwe, chairman of the Citrus Producers Forum, said in a news release that the rapid growth of South Africa's citrus industry over the past decade had made the programme a possibility.

'Citrus exports to the US began with 500 tonnes in 1999. This year we will be exporting in excess of 40,000 tonnes,' he noted. 'The growth has enabled WCCPF members to initiate and sustain the Harvest of Hope programme of economic empowerment for their farm employees.'

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