The first edition of the publication was launched at Fruit Logistica’s Fresh Produce Forum
The Southern Hemisphere Fruit Alliance (SFA), the representative body for the region’s fruit industry, officially unveiled its Statistical Yearbook 2026 at the Fruit Logistica trade fair in Berlin last week.
The new annual publication offers a comprehensive and data-driven account of the evolution of fruit production and exports from the Southern Hemisphere, underpinned by expert analysis and verified statistics.
Opening the launch event at the Fresh Produce Forum, SFA vice-president Jorge de Souza of Brazilian fruit association Abrafrutas underlined the industry’s commitment to supply consumers worldwide with safe, healthy, and high-quality fruits while at the same time generating a fair financial return for growers and exporters in the South. “Sustainability is the core of our business. Our production systems preserve and protect the environment, and our industry guarantees the well-being of millions of farmers, workers, their families, and communities involved in supply chains for fruits throughout the Southern Hemisphere,” he said.
De Souza highlighted the crucial importance for the industry of collaboration and common understanding. “The trading environment in which we currently operate presents new, profound challenges every day,” he continued.
“In a world of constant change, it is imperative for businesses and organisations to work together to identify and find synergies between solutions that allow us to continue building fair and sustainable supply chains for our fruits.”
De Souza’s opening address was followed by a presentation of the Statistical Yearbook by Nina Viljoen of South African Table Grape Industry (Sati) and an overview of global trends by Sati’s Conrad Burger, both co-leaders of the SFA Working Group on Statistics. SFA members from Australia (Wayne Prowse of Citrus Australia), Brazil (Jorge de Souza of Abrafrutas), Chile (Iván Marambio of Frutas de Chile), Peru (Piero Razeto of Agap), South Africa (Fhumulani Ratshitanga of Fruit South Africa), and Zimbabwe (Linda Nielsen of the Horticultural Development Council) presented an analysis of recent trends and drivers in the production and export of fresh fruits from their countries.
“The presentations by SFA’s members, together with the statistics and analysis provided in the Statistical Yearbook, demonstrate the strength and dynamism of the fruit industry in the Southern Hemisphere,” SFA said. De Souza added: “Through the alliance, our industry is unifying the field. Our new Yearbook shows that producers and exporters in the Southern Hemisphere are at the forefront of innovation to meet the demand for delicious, safe, and sustainable fruit from consumers worldwide”.
Co-leader of the SFA Working Group on Statistics, Piero Razeto, invited the audience to view and download the Statistical Yearbook on the SFA website at https://www.shfruit.org/statistical-yearbook/.
“Wherever you work in the fresh fruit industry, the SFA Statistical Yearbook will prove an invaluable aid to making the best decisions and achieving your desired business results,” he said.
