Africa is often referred to as the food basket of the world. This, according to the Africa New Portal, is because it boasts half the world’s fertile uncultivated land, and plentiful water resources.

But despite this fact, compared to the rest of the world, African farmers receive the smallest amount of produce from the crops that they plant, and have to import half the amount of rice that they consume, paying up to USD3.5 billion annually.

It’s vital then, that the continent strives to become more productive and self-sufficient, especially now that COVID-19 has become and additional hurdle to overcome.   

Fruit and vegetable processing and preserving

When it comes to fruit and vegetable processing and preserving in South Africa, for example, this industry has been recently identified as a “key driver of inclusive and labour-intensive growth”, according to a 2020 report by Research and Markets, which states that last year revenue from fruit, vegetable, meat and fish processing in the country amounted to around ZAR155.7 billion.

But although this industry is showing huge promise, there are challenges.  The report states that although the coronavirus has caused “minimal disruption” in certain parts of the sector, because summer crops were already maturing when the pandemic hit Africa (and saw growth when the hard lockdown caused shoppers to bulk buy for fear of running out of food), exports of canned fruit to China, for example, have seen a massive drop since early January.

COVID-19 has taught consumers valuable lessons about supporting local producers and the importance of buying local.

Zhauns promotes small business opportunities on the continent, and has a selection of machines that are specifically designed for the agricultural industry.

Available machines

Zhauns fruit and vegetable pulper brush finisher, can make up to 450kg of juice an hour.

Zhauns dryer/dehydrator, has a 600-litre capacity to slice and dry fruit and vegetables; hat extends the shelf life of produce by up to 6months – allowing the farmer to monetise his produce which would have otherwise gone to waste because there was no way of drying it hygienically.

Zhauns jam line, can make up to 700kg of condiments a day.

Zhauns pulper mill, can produce around 150kg of pulp per hour.

Zhauns truly has made processing so much easier for SMEs.

Find out how your business can grow by using the right machines and training. Let’s help each other make our “food basket” as productive as it can be.  Get in touch with us today!