South African citrus export group names CEO
The Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum (WCCPF) has appointed Suhanra Conradie as chief executive officer.
| Conradie |
She replaces Joretha Geldenhuys, who served as the forum's CEO since August 2009.
'Suhanra brings a wealth of knowledge in dealing with foreign markets, as well as expertise in all aspects of growth, distribution, and supply in the fruit export industry,' said Gerrit van der Merwe, WCCPF chairman, in a statement. 'With her in place, we expect to continue the development, expansion, and success of our position in the U.S. market.'
Conradie directed marketing, finance and sales efforts for Oceanic Fruit Exports in South Africa. Prior to joining Oceanic, she held marketing and finance roles with Sunny Fruit Export Co. and Kromco. In her role as CEO for the WCCPF, she will be based in Wellington, South Africa.
WCCPF is a consortium of 350 South African growers eligible to export summer citrus to the United States. Its purpose is to facilitate logistics, marketing and sales support coordination of their products.
South African citrus exports to the United States began in 1999. All citrus bound for the United States from South Africa undergoes U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections to ensure compliance with all U.S. regulations. South Africa is the world's second-largest exporter of citrus and produces 60 percent of all citrus grown in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fruit bound for U.S. consumers comes mostly from the region near Citrusdal and Clanwilliam, the northern Cape near Kimberly and the Northwest along the Orange River, near Upington.