Kobus Hartman is acknowledged locally and abroad as an expert on matters related to market access and food safety assurance of fresh produce, especially with regard to the use of agrochemical products.

During his 30 years’ involvement in the field of crop protection and agro-chemical management, he has gathered a wealth of knowledge and experience in this field. As a result, he is involved in various local and international workgroups on Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of chemical products and other agrochemical issues, in an effort to establish responsible crop protection strategies for fruit production.

He is regularly invited to lecture on market access and agrochemical matters, the most recent events including the British Crop Protection Association Congress (UK, 2005), the Bayer Crop Protection Symposium (Portugal, 2006), the Citrus Symposium (SA, 2006), and the Bayer Crop Protection Seminars (SA, 2007).

At the moment he is one of four members of a consortium setting up an MRL (maximum residue level) Information Desk for the South African fresh produce industry, in conjunction with the EU and SA Department of Agriculture. Kobus also acts as technical expert in litigation in agrochemical-related matters from time to time.

He graduated with a B.Sc. Agric. from the University of Stellenbosch in 1976 with Horticulture and Botany as major subjects. His career in the agro-chemical industry started when he joined Fisons as Research Agriculturist responsible for field research and registration trials in 1979. In 1982 he was promoted to Training and Sales-support Agriculturalist for the Eastern Cape, and four years later to Technical Commercial Manager for the entire Cape region.

Kobus was appointed as Environmental Manager at the deciduous fruit exporter Unifruco in 1993, where he played a leading role in establishing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach in the South African deciduous fruit industry. Following the merger between Unifruco and Outspan in 1999, his focus as Market Access Manager of Capespan moved to the development of systems and tools for the purpose of risk management and branding, such as the all-encompassing Integrated Crop Management Assessment System (ICMAS) and the MRL lists reflecting the latest statutory and retailer requirements.

As Market Access Manager he has established a wide network of contacts amongst key retailers, importers, and other decision-making organisations and bodies regarding due diligence and market access issues.

Lindi Benić is currently employed by the Deciduous Fruit Industry as Manager: Trade / Market Access Affairs. Her portfolio requires an astute knowledge of the implications of international developments pertaining to international trade, standards, protocols and trade barriers influencing sustained industry market access, with a particular focus on the EU. In this capacity she drives and chairs the Deciduous Industry MRL workgroup and related advisory committees regarding ongoing collective decision-making on all industry related local and export MRL matters.

In addition, she represents industry on all food safety, MRL, Market Access and related forums. Her portfolio also requires ongoing collaboration and contribution to relevant global (EurepGAP and other) and official export food safety and GAP-related requirements and standards, particularly MRLs. This includes ongoing interaction with European and Southern Hemisphere suppliers and international markets relating to food safety, GAP standards, MRL and chemical usage requirements, particularly relating to critical actives involved in the ongoing EU MRL review process.

Through this process she has established a tested methodology relating to the establishment and maintenance of a system that supports the Deciduous Fruit Industry MRL Guidelines, which has developed to become a critical support tool for the Deciduous Fruit Industry (since 1999).

Sarah le Grange is an industry expert on standards for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and has been instrumental in the development of the Integrated Crop Management Assessment System (ICMAS), the industry one-stop GAP and GMP assessment tool. She is still directly involved in the maintenance and further development of ICMAS.

In addition to her 15 years of experience in agriculture, she has been trained extensively in this area. She obtained the degrees B.Sc. Agric. (1991) and M.Sc. Agric. (1995) at the University of Stellenbosch (US), and also holds an Honours degree in Journalism (1992) from the same university. She joined Unifruco in 1994 as a journalist at the industry magazine, Deciduous Fruit Grower, and was promoted to editor in 1996. In 1997 she moved to the technical division of Unifruco where she was involved in development of quality prediction systems for pome and stone fruit and table grapes.

Following the establishment of Capespan in 1999, Sarah joined the Environmental Department, and became involved in the development of GAP and GMP evaluation systems, which resulted in ICMAS being established. She also developed an extensive user’s manual to implement GMPs, HACCP and the British Retailer Consortium (BRC) standard in fruit pack houses. For this purpose she attended courses in HACCP and GMPs (2001), BRC First Party Auditing (2002) and Lead Assessing (2003).

She is also involved in the training and preparation of growers for final auditing against various GAP and GMP standards, including EUREPGAP, Tesco Nature’s Choice, and BRC. During frequent negotiations with the supermarkets and other international role players to harmonise ICMAS with market requirements, she has developed a valuable international network of contacts on these matters.

At the moment she is one of four members of a consortium setting up an MRL (maximum residue level) Information Desk for the South African fresh produce industry, in conjunction with the EU and SA Department of Agriculture.

During his involvement of almost 40 years in citrus production and export, Ballie Wahl has not only accumulated extensive knowledge and experience in a range of citrus production practices, but also a valuable network of contacts worldwide.

His career in the citrus industry started at the SA Co-op Citrus Exchange (SACCE), when he was appointed as Extension Officer shortly after completing his BSc.Agric. (Entomology) at the University of Stellenbosch.

Following a stint in London in 1969 as a Laboratory Analyst for Outspan, he returned to South Africa where he continued his duties as Extension Officer in the Eastern Cape. In August 1972 he was promoted to Extension Manager for the Cape region, and in 1977 to assistant to the Extension Manager. He focused on assisting citrus producers to obtain maximum production per hectare by optimising fertilisation, irrigation, horticultural manipulation, weed control, pest and disease control, minimise post-harvest decay and practice proper quality management. Special attention was given to markets with additional phytosanitary restrictions.

In February 1980 Ballie joined Bayer Agro-Chemicals in Paarl as a consultant. In 1986 he moved his focus to the production and quality management of easy peeling mandarins. During his involvement in the mandarin industry, he arranged nine grower tours to some of the world’s main citrus producing countries, e.g., Spain, Corsica, Morocco, Israel, the USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

In January 1999 he joined Capespan as Technical Support Manager. From 2003 he extended his technical support to new international citrus projects in South America, Mexico, Pakistan, Egypt and China.

His exposure to citrus production worldwide proved to be invaluable in obtaining the latest knowledge on production techniques, packing, new cultivars and market potential and establishing an extensive network of contacts, especially production experts and researchers.

Currently, Ballie acts as an independent consultant in the local citrus industry and abroad.

As a well-known specialist in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the local deciduous fruit industry, Frikkie Van Schalkwyk acts as Technical Manager at Kromco, a large fruit packing operation in Elgin, and consults widely in the industry on matters relating to IPM and the use of agro-chemical products.

After completing his studies in Agricultural field services in 1966, Frikkie started his career at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Marketing. Thereafter he joined the Kromrivier Apple Cooperative (today Kromco) as Assistant Pack house Manager. Broadening his horizons, he moved into the agro-chemical industry in 1979, as an Agro-chemical Representative for Plantchem.

This background proved to be of great value on his return to Kromco as Technical Advisor in 1981. In this position he had the opportunity to start specialising in IPM. In 1990 he attended a course in IPM at the University of California, to enhance the practical experience he had accumulated by that time. In the same year he received the Cape Pomological Society Technical Award for his contribution to the development of the tree-row-volume model in South Africa and the more effective application of crop protection products in orchards. He also played a leading role in the implementation of a biological control strategy for red spider mite on deciduous fruit in the Western Cape.

In 1995 he was promoted to Kromco Technical Manager. Currently he is an active member of the Fieldmen’s Association and serves on the following fruit industry committees: the workgroup on Maximum Residue Levels, Deciduous Fruit Producers' Research Strategic Advice Committee, Deciduous Fruit Producers' Research Strategic Advice Committee for pome fruit, and the Agchem Environmental workgroup.

Kobus Hartman is acknowledged locally and abroad as an expert on matters related to market access and food safety assurance of fresh produce, especially with regard to the use of agrochemical products.

During his 30 years’ involvement in the field of crop protection and agro-chemical management, he has gathered a wealth of knowledge and experience in this field. As a result, he is involved in various local and international workgroups on Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of chemical products and other agrochemical issues, in an effort to establish responsible crop protection strategies for fruit production.

He is regularly invited to lecture on market access and agrochemical matters, the most recent events including the British Crop Protection Association Congress (UK, 2005), the Bayer Crop Protection Symposium (Portugal, 2006), the Citrus Symposium (SA, 2006), and the Bayer Crop Protection Seminars (SA, 2007).

At the moment he is one of four members of a consortium setting up an MRL (maximum residue level) Information Desk for the South African fresh produce industry, in conjunction with the EU and SA Department of Agriculture. Kobus also acts as technical expert in litigation in agrochemical-related matters from time to time.

He graduated with a B.Sc. Agric. from the University of Stellenbosch in 1976 with Horticulture and Botany as major subjects. His career in the agro-chemical industry started when he joined Fisons as Research Agriculturist responsible for field research and registration trials in 1979. In 1982 he was promoted to Training and Sales-support Agriculturalist for the Eastern Cape, and four years later to Technical Commercial Manager for the entire Cape region.

Kobus was appointed as Environmental Manager at the deciduous fruit exporter Unifruco in 1993, where he played a leading role in establishing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach in the South African deciduous fruit industry. Following the merger between Unifruco and Outspan in 1999, his focus as Market Access Manager of Capespan moved to the development of systems and tools for the purpose of risk management and branding, such as the all-encompassing Integrated Crop Management Assessment System (ICMAS) and the MRL lists reflecting the latest statutory and retailer requirements.

As Market Access Manager he has established a wide network of contacts amongst key retailers, importers, and other decision-making organisations and bodies regarding due diligence and market access issues.

During his involvement of almost 40 years in citrus production and export, Ballie Wahl has not only accumulated extensive knowledge and experience in a range of citrus production practices, but also a valuable network of contacts worldwide.

His career in the citrus industry started at the SA Co-op Citrus Exchange (SACCE), when he was appointed as Extension Officer shortly after completing his BSc.Agric. (Entomology) at the University of Stellenbosch.

Following a stint in London in 1969 as a Laboratory Analyst for Outspan, he returned to South Africa where he continued his duties as Extension Officer in the Eastern Cape. In August 1972 he was promoted to Extension Manager for the Cape region, and in 1977 to assistant to the Extension Manager. He focused on assisting citrus producers to obtain maximum production per hectare by optimising fertilisation, irrigation, horticultural manipulation, weed control, pest and disease control, minimise post-harvest decay and practice proper quality management. Special attention was given to markets with additional phytosanitary restrictions.

In February 1980 Ballie joined Bayer Agro-Chemicals in Paarl as a consultant. In 1986 he moved his focus to the production and quality management of easy peeling mandarins. During his involvement in the mandarin industry, he arranged nine grower tours to some of the world’s main citrus producing countries, e.g., Spain, Corsica, Morocco, Israel, the USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

In January 1999 he joined Capespan as Technical Support Manager. From 2003 he extended his technical support to new international citrus projects in South America, Mexico, Pakistan, Egypt and China.

His exposure to citrus production worldwide proved to be invaluable in obtaining the latest knowledge on production techniques, packing, new cultivars and market potential and establishing an extensive network of contacts, especially production experts and researchers.

Currently, Ballie acts as an independent consultant in the local citrus industry and abroad.

As a well-known specialist in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the local deciduous fruit industry, Frikkie Van Schalkwyk acts as Technical Manager at Kromco, a large fruit packing operation in Elgin, and consults widely in the industry on matters relating to IPM and the use of agro-chemical products.

After completing his studies in Agricultural field services in 1966, Frikkie started his career at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Marketing. Thereafter he joined the Kromrivier Apple Cooperative (today Kromco) as Assistant Pack house Manager. Broadening his horizons, he moved into the agro-chemical industry in 1979, as an Agro-chemical Representative for Plantchem.

This background proved to be of great value on his return to Kromco as Technical Advisor in 1981. In this position he had the opportunity to start specialising in IPM. In 1990 he attended a course in IPM at the University of California, to enhance the practical experience he had accumulated by that time. In the same year he received the Cape Pomological Society Technical Award for his contribution to the development of the tree-row-volume model in South Africa and the more effective application of crop protection products in orchards. He also played a leading role in the implementation of a biological control strategy for red spider mite on deciduous fruit in the Western Cape.

In 1995 he was promoted to Kromco Technical Manager. Currently he is an active member of the Fieldmen’s Association and serves on the following fruit industry committees: the workgroup on Maximum Residue Levels, Deciduous Fruit Producers' Research Strategic Advice Committee, Deciduous Fruit Producers' Research Strategic Advice Committee for pome fruit, and the Agchem Environmental workgroup.

With almost 40 years’ experience in the fruit industry, Johan Labuschagne is a well-known expert on fruit quality and phytosanitary management.

He holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Agriculture, with Horticulture, Plant Physiology and Plant Pathology as main study fields. During his studies at the University of Pretoria, Johan was involved in research on citrus skin disorders.

In the mid-sixties he worked as Entomological Assistant at the Citrus Exchange, now known as CRI (Citrus Research Institute). Here he was involved in the screening of citrus pesticides, the development of the first fruit fly sterilisation project that enabled exports to Japan, and the development of Plantex – a non-chemical control measure for red scale, which in later years became the official mitigation protocol for the export of table grapes from the Hex River Valley to Israel. Hereafter he worked as citrus farm and pack house manager in White River and Hazyview and as citrus orchard manager at Tambankulu Estates in Swaziland. He remained involved in research work on citrus skin disorders, assisting in trials to determine the effect of gibberellic acid on citrus fruit quality.

After nine years in the citrus industry, he joined the deciduous fruit industry as Technical Head of the Deciduous Fruit Board (DFB), later becoming Technical Manager and Manager Quality Assurance at Unifruco. During this time Johan gained an in-depth knowledge of a range of technical aspects, including new cultivar development, production and pest control practices, residue issues, phytosanitary protocols and rulings, and harvesting, packing and post-handling practices of deciduous fruit. Having been a Director of Unifruco Research Services (now Experico) for many years, he has played an instrumental role in many technical developments and breakthroughs.

Lately, Johan has focused his efforts on managing phytosanitary requirements to open up new markets and resolve matters obstructing access to existing markets. He currently represents the Fresh Produce Exporters' Forum (FPEF) on phytosanitary issues on the Market Access Workgroup of the Department of Agriculture (DoA). These issues include all aspects of phytosanitary measures, such as registration procedures, pest management requirements, sampling and inspections, operational procedures and documentation.

Johan currently operates as a private consultant on phytosanitary and other matters.

Louis von Broembsen’s 35 years’ experience in the citrus industry on technical, marketing and management level has prepared him well for his current involvement in matters of strategic planning, information gathering, and customer relationship management in the citrus and wider fresh produce sector.

After obtaining his M.Sc. Agric. in Horticultural Science from the University of Natal in 1976, he was commissioned to develop and implement an improvement programme for the Southern African citrus industry. This involved, amongst others, the sourcing and introduction of new varieties and the implementation of procedures and practices for the provision of horticulturally superior, disease-free plant material to the industry.

He subsequently directed the citrus industry's research programme and in 1988 was appointed as General Manager of the Technical Division of Outspan International with responsibilities for research, operations and extension services. In 1999 Louis was appointed as Group General Manager Research and Development of Capespan (Pty) Ltd. In this capacity he was responsible for research, cultivar management, quality management, technical operations and environmental management. He was also closely involved with the development and implementation of strategies to transform the South African fruit industry from a single channel marketing operation to an open, deregulated system.

In 2003 he decided to move into private consultancy. Louis has since consulted for Capespan (Pty) Ltd., Citrogold (Pty) Ltd, the Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust, PPECB and Citrus Research International (CRI), on whose board he currently serves. He has also consulted on projects for the Mantis Group, the International Finance Corporation (Mozambique), San Miguel in Argentina, Magrabi Farms in Egypt and for various non fruit-industry related businesses.

He has authored a series of training manuals on citrus production, marketing and strategy for the Citrus Academy and serves as an operating consultant for Partciplan (Pty) Ltd. At the moment, he is one of four members of a consortium setting up an MRL Information Desk for the South African fresh produce industry, in conjunction with the EU and SA Department of Agriculture.

Met 35 jaar se ondervinding in die vrugtebedryf, is Johan Labuschagne 'n bekende kundige oor die bestuur van vruggehalte en fitosanitêre aangeleenthede.

Hy het 'n B.Sc. Honneurs in Landbou verwerf, met Hortologie, Plantfisiologie en Plantpatologie as hoofstudierigtings. In hierdie tydperk was Johan betrokke by navorsing oor sitrusskildefekte en het hy gehelp met proefnemings om die effek van gibberelliensuur op die gehalte van sitrus te bepaal.

In die middel sestigerjare was hy 'n Entomologiese Assistent by die navorsingsinstituut wat nou as die Sitrusnavorsingsinstituut (CRI) bekend staan. Hier was hy betrokke by die evaluering van sitrusoesbeskermingsmiddels, die ontwikkeling van die eerste vrugtevliegsteriliseringsprojek wat uitvoer na Japan moontlik gemaak het, en die ontwikkeling van Plantex, wat in later jare instrumenteel was in die uitvoer van tafeldruiwe uit die Hexriviervallei na Israel. Hierna het hy as plaas- en pakhuisbestuurder in Witrivier en Hazyview en as sitrusboordbestuurder op Tambankulu Estates in Swaziland gewerk.

Na nege jaar in die sitrusbedryf het hy by die sagtevrugtebedryf aangesluit as Tegniese Hoof van die Sagtevrugteraad (SVR) en is later as Tegniese en Gehalteversekeringsbestuurder by Unifruco, die uitvoerarm van die SVR, aangestel. Dit het Johan die geleentheid gegee om diepgaande kennis oor ‘n wye reeks tegniese aspekte te ontwikkel, onder andere nuwe kultivarontwikkeling en plaagbeheerpraktyke, residukwessies, fitosanitêre protokolle en reels, en oes-, verpakkings- en hanteringspraktyke vir sagtevrugte. As Direkteur van Unifruco Navorsingsdienste (nou Experico) vir 'n hele paar jaar, het hy 'n sleutelrol in heelparty tegniese ontwikkelings en deurbrake gespeel.

Gedurende die laaste paar jaar het Johan gefokus op die bestuur van fitosanitêre vereistes om toegang tot nuwe markte te bewerkstellig en kwessies wat toegang tot bestaande markte beperk, by te lê. Hy verteenwoordig tans die Varsprodukte Uitvoerdersforum (FPEF) oor fitosanitêre aangeleenthede op die Marktoegangswerkgroep van die Departement van Landbou. Hierdie sake sluit alle aspekte van fitosanitêre maatreëls in, soos registrasieprosedures, plaagbestuurvereistes, monsterneming en inspeksies, bedryfsprosedures en dokumentasie.

Johan tree tans as private konsultant oor fitosanitêre en ander kwessies op.