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. 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. The launch event of the publication, at the Fresh Produce Forum, drew significant attention from industry professionals and the media alike.

Opening the launch event, SFA vice-president Jorge de Souza of Abrafrutas (Brazil) 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. He added: “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”.

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 said. “In a world of constant change, it is imperative for businesses and organizations 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 (South African Table Grape Industry, SATI) and an overview of global trends by Conrad Burger (SATI), both co-leaders of the SFA Working Group on Statistics. SFA members from Australia (Citrus Australia, Wayne Prowse), Brazil (Abrafrutas, Jorge de Souza), Chile (Frutas de Chile, Iván Marambio), Peru (Association of Agricultural Producer Guilds of Peru (AGAP), Piero Razeto), South Africa (Fruit South Africa, Fhumulani Ratshitanga), and Zimbabwe (Horticultural Development Council, Linda Nielsen) 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. De Souza said: “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 (AGAP, Peru) invited the audience to view and download the Statistical Yearbook on the SFA website at https://www.shfruit.org/statistical-yearbook/. He said: “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”.

The Southern Hemisphere Association of Fresh Fruit Exporters (SHAFFE), the advocacy group for the fresh fruit industry in the Southern Hemisphere, has changed its name to Southern Hemisphere Fruit Alliance (SFA), and adopted a new logo. This is to better reflect the 34-year-old organisation’s mission of unifying the diverse and unique Southern fruit sector, championing its cause and nurturing environmentally, socially and economically sustainable global value chains for the region’s fruits.

“We are delighted to announce that the change of name and the transition process that we initiated earlier this year has now been completed,” said Nathan Hancock, SFA president and CEO of Citrus Australia. “Our new beginning and brand are designed to help us truly unite the fruit industry – from producers to exporters in the entire Southern Hemisphere – so that we may more effectively advocate for the cause of the sector. “Speaking with one voice, our alliance will be able to make the case that fresh fruits from the Southern Hemisphere are essential to prosperity in the region, and provide a crucial contribution to the health and well-being of consumers worldwide.”

The change from “Association” to “Alliance” may seem simple, but it embodies the organisation’s primary mission as it grows into its fourth decade. “By definition, an alliance is an entity forged for the mutual benefit of all,” said Jorge de Souza, vice-president of the Alliance, and technical and project manager at Abrafrutas (Brazil). “That is the essence of the new Southern Hemisphere Fruit Alliance – to re-ignite an organisation into one whose aim is to benefit all: our producers and growers, the workers they employ, and the consumers who enjoy our delicious fruits.”

A new membership structure reflects the Alliance’s belief that uniting the field is paramount. It includes full and supporting member categories, designed to bring together industry players in the Southern Hemisphere with their counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as with global providers of inputs and services.

“Our new name and structure signal our resolve to unite the fresh fruit industry so that we can speak with one strong voice. We are no longer the trade association for the Southern Hemisphere fruit industry, but rather the allegiance aimed at advancing its cause,” said Hancock.