August 17 - 18, 2022 - Cape Town, South Africa

The Southern Africa Conference

Name: The Southern Africa Conference
Start: 2022-08-17T04:00:00+00:00
End: 2022-08-18T04:00:00+00:00

Why Attend?

Network, reconnect, and meet in person with your fresh produce and floral colleagues, whilst learning more about the challenges facing the fresh produce & floral supply.

Who Attends?

All stakeholders in the fresh produce and floral supply chain: commercial fruit, vegetable & flower growers, exporters, retailers, wholesalers, market agents, fresh produce markets, input suppliers and service providers.

Get Involved

Gain valuable exposure for your company by taking up one of the conference sponsorship offerings. For more information, contact
Lianne Jones at ljones@freshproduce.com

Registration Costs

Member	Non-Member
Before or on July 29: $355 USD	Before or on July 29: $425 USD
After July 29: $425 USD	After July 29: $465 USD

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

19:00 - 21:00

VIP Members-Only Reception*

Join other key industry leaders for a cocktail in this exclusive reception for IFPA members only at the Bloemendal Wine Estate. This historic gem is situated in the fertile Durbanville Valle just over 20 minutes from Century City Conference Centre.

*Additional registration needed

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

9:00 - 9:30

Breakfast

9:45 - 10:00

Better Together - PMA + United Fresh

The vision IFPA has is to bring our industry together to create a vibrant future for all. And we'll achieve this through engaged amplifiers, those individuals that love our industry, what it does every day, and the potential it has in solving the world's biggest problems. We'll review the association's key strategies and opportunities for you to get involved in the association locally and globally.

Miriam Wolk
Chief Membership Officer, IFPA /p>

10:00 - 11:00

General Session: Becoming a Digital Master: The Art of Corporate Innovation

Tech fluency is about getting past the digital buzz words and understanding technology in simple, practical ways. It's about getting past perceiving technology as a black box, wanting to build an app for everything, or buy another mega-system to solve a problem that is not well understood.

To fully leverage the power of the digital technology, we must change how we think about technology. At its core, technology is simply a method of technique that solves a problem by breaking a previous constraint. It's about seeing technology as a mechanism to break constraints to solve problems better. It's about having the presence of mind to unearth limiting assumptions and know which technology capabilities to apply to drive new revenue streams, reduce the cost to serve, enhance customer experience, and improve the employee experience. Through digital technologies, technology is finally powerful enough to match our imagination's capacity to craft and deliver more effective solutions, across business and social needs.

Rapelang Rabana

Entrepreneur, Thought Leader, and Speaker

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee & Networking

11:30 - 12:30

General Session
Creating a Climate Resilient Fresh Produce & Floral Sector

Future proofing for climate issues, consumer expectations, and regulatory pressures are all critical issues our industry faces. Join us as Maria da Serra from Kantar shares the latest information that will help you make business decisions to be successful as the world changes around us.

Maria da Serra
New Business Development Director and
Partner in Sustainable Growth, Kantar

12:30 - 13:30

Lunch & Networking

14:00 - 15:00

Navigating the Future of Supply & Demand During Challenging Times

Join us for this session, led by Dr. Johan van Deventer, ex-Freshmark, to gain insights from a retailer, an economist and a brand merchandiser about food security, strategies and how to navigate the current and future economic climate.

Moderator

Dr. Johan van Deventer, Managing Director, Freshmark (retired)

Speakers:

Brian Coppin

CEO, Food Lover's Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Greg Abraham, Growth Executive, Smollan
Professor Philippe Burger, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of the Free State

15:00 - 15:30

Coffee/Networking Break

15:30 - 16:15

General Session
The Importance of Unlocking Innovation in the Produce Supply Chain in a Southern African Context

Amidst a sharp rise in farming, transport, logistics and shipping costs, supply chain innovation stands at the epicenter of ensuring long-term sustainability. Agricultural produce that is produced primarily for export from Southern Africa uses vast amounts of energy to harvest, produce, transport, primary cold chain storage and ship to far destinations around the world. There has been no apparent shift in supply chain innovation in recent decades, which is now warranted amidst an accelerated rise in labor, electricity and fuel cost inflation, which is at the core of supply chain costs for exporting fresh produce. What needs to be done to curb these costs at the same time optimizing product lead time to market, and what needs to be done to respond to growing demands from consumers for sustainable produce? Fast track supply chain innovation or face evaporation!

Speaker: Mitchell Brooke, Logistics Development Manager, Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa

16:30 - 17:30

Welcome Reception

Thursday, August 18, 2022

9:00 - 9:30

Welcome Tea

9:30 - 10:30

General Session – Hello New World!

So much has impacted us during these past years – Covid-19, Climate, Energy, War, Inflation…. Life as we know it has changed and we are waking up in a New World.

During this global consumer trends session, Elena Ozeritskaya will share insights into the old and new generations, today’s consumer needs and how the Fresh Produce business can drive category growth in these new and challenging times.

Elena Ozeritskaya

Founder and Managing Director, Fresh Insight

10:30 - 11:00

Coffee & Networking

10:50 - 11:35

Africa Free Trade Agreement

Join us for this presentation and audience Q&A session that will feature the latest research conducted by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP). Dr. Mmatlou Kalaba will share information about the state of the Africa Free Trade Agreement, intra-continental trade in fresh produce products, and the realities of fresh produce trade on the African continent.

Dr. Mmatlou Kalaba
Director and Senior Analyst in the Commodity Markets
& Foresights, BFAP

11:35 - 11:55

Coffee & Networking

11:55 - 12:45

South Africa's Agriculture Growth Narrative

Wandile Sihlobo will reflect on South Africa’s agricultural economic conditions, and necessary policy interventions to unlock inclusive growth for the coming years. His presentation will also include key observations on recent policy debates such as the recently launched South Africa’s Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan, a socio-compact plan for delivering inclusive growth in the sector, as well as recent developments on land reform policy.

Wandile Sihlobo
Chief Economist, Agbiz

12:45 - 13:00

Conference Closing

Thank you to our Platinum sponsor

Thank you to our Southern Africa Conference sponsors

Event Location

Century City Conference Centre

No. 4 Energy Lane,
Bridgeways Precinct Century City, 7441
Cape Town, South Africa

Travel Information

We have partnered with the Century City Hotels in the area to guarantee you a competitive room rate.

Book your hotel room

General Event Inquiries

Sarahi Kirschke

Event Manager

International Fresh Produce Association

+1 (302) 781-5853 Email Sarahi Kirschke

Sponsorship Inquiries

Jane Strijdom

SA Marketing & Membership Manager

+ 27 72 619 6611 Email Jane Strijdom

The Southern Africa Conference

Why Attend?

Who Attends?

Get Involved

Registration Costs

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

VIP Members-Only Reception*

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Navigating the Future of Supply & Demand During Challenging Times

Coffee/Networking Break

General SessionThe Importance of Unlocking Innovation in the Produce Supply Chain in a Southern African Context

Welcome Reception

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Thank you to our Platinum sponsor

Thank you to our Southern Africa Conference sponsors

Event Location

Century City Conference Centre

Travel Information

General Session
The Importance of Unlocking Innovation in the Produce Supply Chain in a Southern African Context