The real cost of cheap frozen French fries

South African potato farmers and producers are concerned about the dumping of frozen processed potato products and encouraging South Africans to buy local.

Local potato producers warned that South Africa has becoming a dumping ground for potato products that could cripple their farms and business.

The chief executive of Potatoes South Africa (PSA) Willie Jacobs said: "South African producers have been experiencing many challenges brought on by Covid-19, the cost-price squeeze, rising input costs and most recently, the riots in parts of the country. “Furthermore, our producers don’t benefit from the financial support afforded to European Union farmers by their governments, and simply cannot compete with below-cost products being dumped in our country. With less demand for local produce, there will be a ripple effect on livelihoods and job-losses, not to mention the effect on the economy.”

PSA highlighted that recently anti-dumping duty protection laws lapsed and that there is a significant risk that the increased volume of below-cost frozen French fries that land on our shores from the Netherlands and Belgium will cripple South African farmers and producers.

Buying locally has many benefits and one of them is the benefit to the environment.

PSA said in a statement: “The environmental benefits of buying local produce are obvious, with the protection of South Africa’s natural ecosystem, a smaller carbon footprint associated with the distribution of the product, and the knowledge that locally produced products are also typically linked to more environmentally friendly practices.”

Jacobs added that: “As just one example, McCain Foods South Africa supports in excess of 6,800 full time jobs and procures potatoes from more than 100 local farmers, who plant in excess of 4,500 hectares of potatoes annually.”