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REVIEW: Poverty alleviating infrastructure requires innovation

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The core of contemporary societies is infrastructure, it is crucial for inclusive growth and poverty reduction on a habitable planet, access to clean water, schools, hospitals, energy, transportation, and digital networks. To fulfill the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement targets, infrastructure must be reimagined as sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. Financing, planning, and construction all require innovative approaches. Developing sustainable infrastructure in emerging markets and developing economies requires colossal annual investments in the trillions. Innovative funding, planning, and construction approaches are paramount to achieving this. Firstly, governments facing fiscal constraints must prioritize private sector-led infrastructure development and finance through mechanisms like public-private partnerships (PPPs). Secondly, development banks, including multilateral development banks (MDBs), play a crucial role, facilitating large-scale private i
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NEWS: SA’s citrus exports flat as infrastructure woes sour season

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South Africa’s citrus exports remained flat during the 2023 season, missing an industry target as the country’s electricity and logistics problems worsened.


The world’s second biggest citrus exporter after Spain shipped 165.1 million cartons of fruit in the 2023 export season, an increase of less than 1% on last year’s figure, Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa (CGA) president Justin Chadwick said in a statement.

The exports fell short of the CGA’s forecast of 170 million cartons for the year due to persistent power cuts caused by erratic generation from South Africa’s ageing coal plants, which impacted irrigation, packing and cold storage, Chadwick said.

The underperformance of South Africa’s state-run freight rail and port utility Transnet, which has throttled commodity exports across the economy, also hobbled citrus shipments.

“Congestion at ports and a dysfunctional freight rail network has cost farmers dearly and is, in effect, halting growth opportunities for the citrus industry,” Chadwick said.

He said the European Union’s regulations requiring enhanced cold treatment for citrus exports due to concerns over False Codling Moth, a pest commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa, and fungal disease Citrus Black Spot, would cost South Africa’s citrus industry R3.7 billion ($201.43 million) annually.

The EU is South Africa’s biggest export market, accounting for 33% of fruit shipments in 2022, followed by the Middle East with 19%.

The regulations have resulted in decreased orange exports to the Europe, Chadwick said, predicting a further decline in 2024.

Last year, South Africa lodged its first ever WTO dispute complaint when it challenged the EU’s phytosanitary requirements for imports of oranges and other citrus products related to the False Codling Moth.

The CGA has also asked the South African government to lodge another WTO complaint against the EU over the citrus black spot regulations.

This hardhatNEWS article was first published on Moneyweb

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