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In the newest edition of the magazine, Farmer’s Weekly writes about the effect that imported potato chips, also known as French fries, have on the potato industry. Erasmus says that the importing of these chips is posing a threat to South African producers. She adds that Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes South Africa, says that local producers have suffered a severe knock during the Covid-19 pandemic - especially at the beginning of strict lockdown regulations last year.

Erasmus explains that during the hard lockdown the informal sector, which accounts for 66% of potato trade on the national fresh produce market, was restricted from trading. In addition to this, social distancing regulations have forced many producers to implement shift work by extending operating hours which are then added to their input costs.

Adding to this, Jacobs says that input costs have been increasing faster than market prices for the past decade, which results in market prices moving sideways. This has resulted in potato producers being forced to produce more potatoes per hectare in order to survive financially.

Another story takes a look at a study that was done on the changing eating habits of South Africans. Erasmus says that Unilever’s ‘State of the Plate’ study, tracks the changes in the composition of the typical South African plate of food. “The interesting takeaway of this year’s results was that most South Africans increased the amount of meat that they eat, and this was despite the impact the pandemic has had on general economic conditions and on consumers’ purchasing power,” elaborates Erasmus.

Also, the magazine looks at food price inflation. Erasmus says food price inflation is currently at its highest level since 2017.

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