The South African berry industry body has decided to change its name to BerriesZA after operating as the South African Berry Growers Association (SABPA) for some years.

"In recognition of the growing strength of the industry on the world stage, we have decided to re-launch the South African Berries Growers Association (SABPA) as BerriesZA," confirmed Justin Mudge, president of the group.

The success of the South African country

The growth of the berry industry in South Africa over the past 5 years is considered one of the great agricultural success stories of the country.

Its blueberry exports increased by more than 27% last year, despite the impact of Covid-19. This represented an increase to 15.636 tonnes in 2021, compared to 12.221 tonnes the previous year and 1.792 tonnes in 2015.

This growth has supported the rapid increase in employment in the industry. From just 1,000 workers in 2014 to more than 8,000 workers in 2019.

“We believe this marks an important new chapter in the success story of South African berries,” commented Mudge. “Most importantly, BerriesZA will become the enabling commodity organization with a new mission to build the South African berry brand here and abroad” due to the superiority of the country's fruit compared to berries from other countries.

Berries ZA 

“South African blueberries are globally recognized as some of the highest quality in the world. By 2024, our goal is to have increased production to 62.000 tons and exports to 44.000 tons,” he added.

BerriesZA projections

"To achieve these objectives, we will focus our efforts in the coming years on gaining access to new markets, mainly in the Far East, where demand for South African berries is high."