Heavy rainfall leads to losses of R94 million in December for South Africa’s tomato sector.JOHANNESBURG – While many farmers generally welcome rain, it has cost South Africa’s tomato industry at least R100 million during December alone.This summer, South Africa has been experiencing heavy rainfall, wreaking havoc on harvests of essential staple fruit and vegetables.For the tomato industry, the losses have reached R94 million in December, Clive Garret, marketing head of ZZ2, South Africa’s largest tomato producers, told Business Insider South Africa on Tuesday.The recent rains have resulted in South Africa’s five main fresh produce markets receiving between 500 to 700 tons fewer tomatoes daily in December, Garret said.“If one takes a conservative price of R7/kg and a shortage of 500 tons per day, then the loss for December would be in the region of R94 million,” he said.As a result of decreased tomato volumes delivered to markets, prices moved shot up from R7 per kilogram […]
HEAVY RAINS COST SA’S TOMATO INDUSTRY ALMOST R100M IN DECEMBER ALONE
