The South African Story HEPRO Cape (Pty) Ltd. Cherin Balt

Transcription

1 The South African Story HEPRO Cape (Pty) Ltd Cherin Balt

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3 Agenda Past Present Future

4 Alternative Treatment Cold Steri from South Africa 22 days at ⁰C. Any break in the cold chain extends this period. This is not good for the fruit The search for alternative treatment began

5 History FIAT (Fruit Irradiation Action Team) Dr Rocco Basson Stakeholders from Exporters, Market access group, DAFF USDA APHIS Different Fruit Industry bodies Objectives New markets Establishing protocol for irradiation of fruit

6 Irradiation under Focus From 1996 a range of irradiation trials performed on plums, apples, pears, table grapes, mangoes, litchis, persimmons at HEPRO Cape (Pty) Ltd

7 Grapes

8 Plums

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10 Apples / Pears

11 Litchis

12 Persimmons

13 Figs

14 The South African Story HEPRO Cape (Pty) Ltd FIAT Decided to develop protocol using Table Grapes : 5 million cartons were exported before this market essentially closed 2008 : Preparation commenced 2010: USDA APHIS audit Facility certified for export of irradiated Table Grapes to the USA 2012 : First consignment of Table Grapes to USA 2013 : Second consignment of Table Grapes to USA Then no further commercial consignments for export Plum trial for further licensing 2014

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16 Grapes

17 Attenuator

18 Issues : Low Throughputs Current Facility limited - throughput possibilities too low Process 4 half pallets at a time Current facility Door too short to accommodate conventional fruit stacks Shorter stack Packing two mini pallets at the packhouse Losing one layer of fruit in the container Total time to process a container so much longer

19 Issues : Maximum Doses Tight DUR dose limitations - APHIS FDA Attenuators have to be attached time A batch therefore takes longer Maximum (FDA) doses could be revised

20 Issues : Minimum Doses Required Minimum doses too high for certain fruits (eg citrus) Doses could be revised for different commodities / different pests

21 Issues : Packaging Individual cartons containing pest exclusion packaging onerous for packhouses Require approved external wrap which does not affect the fruit quality

22 Issues : Dose Concerns Dmin revision required for certain commodities Dmin revision required for certain pests Dmax of 1000Gy limit needs to be lifted

23 Challenges : A summary Fruit fly exclusion packaging Mini pallets losing an extra layer drives price per carton up Price differentials : SA are price takers and the US market thus far has not been as attractive as Europe for which none of the additional phytosanitary processes are requirements Traditional markets Perception by SA marketers that the US market is not yet ready to accept this technology so no push to promote it Dose too high for certain commodites eg citrus

24 The future Require a dedicated facility for export commodities Table Grapes alone is not viable Additional Products needed for irradiation eg citrus Recent Citrus trials showed promise for certain cultivars and not for others such as easy peelers. Season for citrus extends from March (when the grapes end) to November (when grape season commences)

25 How far the future Plans for a dedicated facility have already been submitted to the Radiation Protection authorities have been tentatively approved Partners A commercial cold storage partner identified Plans drawn up to accommodate the facility attached to the existing cold store Government backing Backing by the Provincial Government for the new development Support by National government DAFF for opening of new and previous markets Industry backing Fruit industry bodies have shown full support include irradiation as a mitigation treatment in newsletters and various roadshows

26 Thank you for your attention Cherin Balt HEPRO Cape (Pty) Ltd cherin@hepro.co.za