Cold storage is key to SA food production

August 2022 Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring

South Africa’s food production and export industries are experiencing encouraging growth from the increase in demand for high-value and diversified produce such as blueberries, macadamia nuts and citrus. The export demand in the blueberry industry alone is expected to grow by at least 44 000 tonnes by 2024.

A critical enabling factor to support this growth is a combination of investing in the latest refrigeration technology, and improving the capacity and reliability of cold storage infrastructure. This is according to Dawie Kriel, head of business development at EP Refrigeration – a division of Energy Partners and part of the PSG group of companies.

Kriel points out that the increase in exotic fruit exports will require businesses to think differently about how they invest in refrigeration technology. On the export of citrus, he explains that several factors have made for a growing export industry. “The trend in product development – like new variants that are easier to peel and seedless (making them more popular) – is continuing, and of course the higher demand for products containing Vitamin C, which is being driven by the ongoing health awareness resulting from the pandemic. Keeping in mind that South Africa is currently the world’s second largest exporter of citrus, and we are still expanding new plantings, we expect citrus to be a bigger driver of cold storage development.”

With these developments in mind and the added regulatory cold sterilisation requirements, Kriel notes that the refrigeration industry is likely to see an increase in activity and complexity as the country’s food production industry shifts and evolves over the coming years. He adds that the country’s infrastructure problems will only make for more severe challenges for refrigeration-reliant companies. “The combination of ongoing loadshedding, bottlenecks at our ports and the decaying road infrastructure, requires cold storage and transport infrastructure to hold products for longer periods of time before shipping can take place. More sustainable cold storage and insulation, as well as proper servicing of refrigeration equipment, is going to become paramount.”

In closing, he says that while opportunities for the food production industry will certainly grow exponentially, businesses will need to make the right moves to ensure they are ready. “Thinking out of the box to make use of innovative products like Cooling as a Service (CaaS) and partnering with an experienced and reliable service provider in the refrigeration industry for design, building and servicing should be every company’s first call,” he concludes.

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