Page 19 - SA Fruit Journal VOLUME 14

The value of receiving a sales reportADVERTORIALfrom your market agentLIzEL PRETORIUSOften farmers dismiss the value of receiv- ing at least weekly, system-generated sales reports, from their market agents. Theybelieve that the daily “whatsApp” or tel- ephone call is sufficient.The importance of receiving a system- generated sales report cannot be overem- phasised, as it provides valuable insight into a host of aspects, such as:• Whether the expected prices realised were in terms of current market demand and sup- ply principles. This entails receiving the de- tail sales report on sold and unsold produce within several days after delivery in order to make an informed choice, especially where expected prices did not realise and a decision needs to be made whether the fresh produce should be moved or returned;• Whether further consignments of fresh produce should be delivered and how often deliveries should take place;and factual, computer generated informa- tion should be provided (not on a letterhead of the agency but generated on the market’s IT system).Also ensure the sales report provides in- formation per day, per volume sold and price achieved, and does not give an average price for the whole consignment as poor prices can be disguised.Even though most farmers and agents re- lationships are built on trust, it should still be “backed-up” with the necessary concreteAPAC documentation. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCEAGENTS COUNCILwww.apacweb.org.za 011 894 3680Positive! EU Audit MissionLINDI BENIç REPORTSThe EU FVO Delegation visits the PPECB offices, Montagu Gardens.In an effort to strengthen market access endeavours, The Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) Audit Mission to South Africa (SA) took place from the 9 -18 September 2014. Lindi Benić reports.An EU FVO Audit was conducted to evaluate controls of pesti- cides in food of Plant origin intended for export to the EU, focus- sing on assessing controls in pome fruit (apples & pears) and table grapes. An industry reference group was established to coordinate inputs related to the proposed EU FVO Audit.• Sales reports monitored over a period of time also provide statistics on seasonal trends and can assist with forecasting.Farmers should be very suspicious when receiving a handwritten sales report, as all fresh produce markets work on IT systemsBEDRYFSNUUS16 FEB | MAART 2015