The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE) has unanimously elected a new president and vice-president.

SHAFFE’s presidents and vice-president serve two-year terms, and in February 2025, Marta Bentancur’s term as president of the association ended. Over the past two years, Marta has reinvigorated the association and secured its financial and administrative stability. She led the association into very active times by setting up various working groups focusing on, for example, logistics, sustainability and market access. In addition, Marta drove the improvement of the association’s new collection and reporting system for statistical data on exports and production of fresh fruits in the Southern Hemisphere, which remains one of the group’s core activities.

Taking over from Marta is Nathan Hancock, CEO of Citrus Australia, the peak industry body representing Australian citrus growers. In this position, Nathan plays a key role in supporting growers and exporters through market development, biosecurity initiatives, and industry advocacy. Nathan also serves as the chair of the Plant Health Australia Plant Industry Forum and as the chair of the Horticulture Council Market Access Committee, demonstrating his leadership in plant health and international trade policy.

Jorge de Souza, technical and project manager of Abrafrutas, Brazil, will serve as vice-president. Abrafrutas is the Brazilian Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Derivatives, which represents Brazilian fruit producers and exporters and promotes the growth of Brazilian fruit exports to international markets. Like Nathan, Jorge has decades of experience in the fruit industry, having worked inter alia as a banana grower, as operations director at Zeneca Seeds, and as president of Abanorte, a banana growers’ association, and Frutvale, a fruit cooperative.

As SHAFFEs’ president and vice-president, Nathan and Jorge will work to further professionalize SHAFFE and grow its role as the representative of the Southern Hemisphere fruit industry, enhancing collaboration between players in the industry and addressing key global trade and production challenges.

Fhumulani Ratshitanga, CEO of Fruit South Africa, remains treasurer of the association. Fruit South Africa is the umbrella body for the South African fruit industry, representing the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa, the South African Table Grape Industry, Hortgro, the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum, and the South African Subtropical Growers’ Association. Like that of her colleagues on the SHAFFE board, Fhumulani’s career in the agricultural sector spans decades, having worked for the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, and the Perishable Products Export Control Board.

First Southern Hemisphere Fruit Trade Congress highlighted the key priorities of the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE) in its strategy for 2021 – 2023 and served as a platform for announcing a new cooperation agreement with the Chinese fruit importing industry. The first ever online event also highlighted the key challenges and opportunities for the region and defined that building on individual key strengths is the way forward for 2021 and beyond.

The Southern Hemisphere Fruit Trade Congress organized by the Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters, with the defining theme “Keeping the World supplied” has taken place virtually on the 25th of March 2021. With 615 registered participants from all-over the world and two run-ups for convenient dial-in from different time zones, the first annual Congress has reached an exceptional outreach.

Starting with a keynote speech by FAO Deputy Director General Ms Beth Bechdol, highlighting the importance of the support of the fresh fruit industry to the United Nations campaign “International Year of Fruit and Vegetables 2021, at the heart of the conference program have been the outlook review provided by current SHAFFE president Charif Christian Carvajal from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX). Mr. Carvajal highlighted the key areas of activity of SHAFFE, including strengthening the organizations resource availability, stimulating formation of fresh produce industry professionals’, modernizing information systems, and collaborating with like – minded trade organizations and international public entities to create common grounds of dialogue and exchange. The outlook was accompanied by an extensive outlook panel discussion moderated by SHAFFE Secretary General Nelli Hajdu together with 8 thought leaders from the various Southern Hemisphere countries.

The SHAFFE congress was also the scene for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CCCFNA). The Chinese market has become an important outlet for Southern Hemisphere Traders. The market has been growing 90 % over the past five years to 2.5 billion USD market.

The Southern Hemisphere looks back on a very good season 2020 despite Covid-19 constraints challenging producing and trading operations. With a decrease of 8 % in volume but a continued increase of value of 5 % in 2020 (9.8 million T, 14.6 billion USD), Southern Hemisphere traders have secured continuous fruit supply in 2020. The outlook was followed with a panel discussion with thought leaders from the 8 Southern Hemisphere SHAFFE member countries, highlighting the state of play of their respective industries, capitalizing their key individual strengths from investment into organic to emphasis on varietal diversification and/or to branding the desire of consumers for food safety.

The congress additionally showcased contributions from SHAFFE partner organisations including the the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CCCFNA), Freshfel, the European Fresh Produce Association, British Summer Fruits,the US Produce Marketing Association , Canadian Produce Marketing Association and the International Federation for Produce Standards), hence wrapping up a complexity of tasks and challenges for the interconnected global fruit sector.