The potato subsector plays an important role in the South African agricultural sector, not only makes contribution to economic development through creating jobs, but also assists with poverty alleviation. In South Africa, the gross value of potato production accounts for about 43% of major vegetables, and potatoes are harvested in different regions throughout the year. Approximately 40% of the main crop goes for processing, with the remaining 60% destined for the fresh table market. The decline in fresh consumption has been more than offset by a steady growth in consumption of processed products. Most of that growth is attributable to frozen products.
imported Frozen French fries in South Africa
French fries production is estimated at around 0.12 million tons in South Africa, however the actual size of the market is close to 0.15 million tons. That has led to the volume of frozen French fry imports surged from a level of 15,460 tons in 2009, peaking during 2010 at 46,903 tons, and then leveling at 30,054 tons in 2011. Due to a sharp increase in the importation of frozen French fries from Europe, representatives of potato processing industry in South Africa said that threaten the survival of the domestic frozen French fries processing industry, and they have asked the government to intervene and take action over the influx of frozen French fries into the country
The Growth of South African Potato Processing Industry
The South African potato processing industry has shown considerable growth over a decade. The industry now represents 19% of the total potato crop. And the largest part of the processing industry is made up of processing potatoes into french fries, frozen french fries and crisps. The growth in the potato processing industry can be ascribed to several factors such as the expansion of the fast food industry, higher average income of the South African population, the enlargement of french fries processing facilities and the rapid rate of urbanization which increases demand for processed foods. Although the SA potato processing industry is growing very fast, there is still a big gap when it’s compared with the potato processing industries in developed countries.
Frozen French fries Processing Facilities
Small scale frozen French fries production line is economical and practical, specially designed for small-scale production of 100 kg/h, 200 kg/h, 400 kg/h, etc. They all can be customized according to your specific requirements.
