Johannesburg-based Premier, which exports food and personal care products from South Africa and the UK to a range of international markets, said its fruit processing plant in Tulbagh, Western Cape Province, is no longer “economically viable”.
Producers across South Africa have warned that the plant’s closure could jeopardise the livelihoods of around 200 fruit suppliers, as well as threaten the facility’s 246 permanent workers.
Around 90% of the canned fruit produced at Tulbagh is exported, and fruit producers point out that its closure would remove almost half of South Africa’s fruit canning capacity.
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Premier FMCG has begun a consultation process on the proposed closure of Fruit Products Western Cape (FPWC), citing rising production costs and declining global demand as key factors behind the decision.
In a statement given to South African news platform GroundUp, the firm said it is working with farmers, government, the Competition Commission and other stakeholders to minimise the impact on employees, farmers and the Tulbagh community.
South Africa’s Canning Fruit Producers’ Association (CFPA) said around 200-220 local fruit suppliers rely on business from the facility, with many of the varieties they grow having been specifically bred for canning.
