New chair at Fruit South Africa

Fruit South Africa has revealed in a statement that it has elected Bongiwe Njobe as its new chairperson at its recent board meeting, with Justin Chadwick of the Citrus Growers Association the new vice-president.

'I am excited to be taking on this role at this time,' said Njobe. 'Hopefully, the ''green shoots'' of economic growth globally, the renewed political and governance space nationally and the visible opportunities for transformation and growth in the fruit sector will enable Fruit SA to achieve its objectives.'

Njobe, who has deep roots in the agricultural sector and holds a Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the Agriculture University Vassil Kolarov in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, also serves as a director on the board of the deciduous fruit industry, Hortgro.

Chadwick said he was looking forward to working closely with Njobe, who he has worked with since the South African citrus industry gained access to China in 2004.

“We look forward to bringing new energy to the activities of Fruit SA,' he noted. 'Bongi has wide experience of the entire agricultural sector, and has exposure to industry developments around the world which adds to the experience on the board.'

Fruit South Africa strives, through its facilitative role, to contribute to a growing, profitable, sustainable and equitable fruit industry in South Africa. The sector exports more than 60 per cent of local fruits to more than 90 countries.