The South African potato industry must move beyond mere production and focus on supply chain efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and meeting consumer needs to maintain its competitiveness. This was stated by delegates at the recent Potato SA Congress and the Seed Potato Producers Forum in Johannesburg.
Speakers from various parts of the production chain noted that while South African farmers produce quality products, greater value can be achieved by improving the process of moving potatoes from farms to buyers and responding more quickly to changing consumer habits.
Steven Fink, a potato producer from Limpopo, emphasized that farmers have achieved high efficiency in harvesting and quick delivery, but bottlenecks further down the value chain limit growth. He noted that optimizing this part of the chain can stimulate higher product turnover, increase flow, and ultimately demand.
Peter van Zyl, Head of Procurement at Freshmark, reported that retailers possess an unparalleled understanding of consumer behavior, and producers should use this information for more careful planning of harvests and deliveries. Van Zyl explained that most potato purchases occur before the weekend, so producers should plan deliveries to distribution centers on Thursday and Friday when demand is highest.
He also advised reducing harvest and marketing volumes mid-month when demand typically drops, and increasing them towards the end of the month to match peak needs. According to Van Zyl, efficient logistics allows potatoes to reach store shelves in less than 48 hours after harvest.
Louis van Zeuner, former head of Absa, urged producers to embrace technological changes rather than fear them. He stated that the threat lies not in the change itself, but in the unwillingness to move with it. He added that artificial intelligence (AI) provides the ability to process the growing volume of available data to support better business decisions.
Meanwhile, Dr. Carmen Müller, a researcher at the University of Pretoria specializing in nutrition and consumer research, pointed out that potatoes play a critical role in South Africa's food security due to their year-round availability, nutritional value, and wide consumption. However, she warned that price volatility remains a serious obstacle for low-income households, as they will not buy the product if the price is higher than expected or unaffordable.
Steven Wolfardt, Head of Sustainability at PepsiCo, noted that consumers are increasingly interested in the food production process. He stressed that basic practices, such as fair labor practices, responsible chemical management, and water efficiency, must be implemented. He predicts that soil health will become the foundation of sustainable potato production.
Louis de Kok, founder of Nile.ag, believes that digital technologies and e-commerce can provide a more direct link between farmers and consumers, provided the solutions are adapted to South African conditions. De Kok emphasized that quality production remains paramount, not a strong social media presence. He also noted that many farmers focus on reducing resource costs, ignoring potential profits from effective marketing and choosing the right sales channels, believing that this is where the biggest opportunities for increasing profitability lie.
The Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), Ajay Seth, stated that there is an urgent need to eradicate so-called 'dark patterns' in the insurance sector. This is necessary to maintain consumer trust and improve access to insurance products. Furthermore, insurers must conduct an honest self-assessment of their operations.
Seth emphasized that the public expects complete transparency, and dark patterns should not be present in the system. Dark patterns are defined as digital mechanisms that mislead users, prompting them to share personal information or make decisions they did not initially intend to make.
Common examples of such practices include spam calls, creating obstacles to subscription cancellations, and demanding personal data before a user can review the product or prices.
As an illustration, Seth noted that users visiting insurance companies' websites are often forced to provide personal information that is unrelated to the process of purchasing insurance or checking tariffs. He pointed out that instead of allowing the user to first view the product and its cost, the website might request a name, mobile number, and consent for contact even before disclosing the price.
These statements came after the regulator partnered with the Institute of Government Accountants of India at the beginning of this year to monitor dark patterns in the insurance sector over the next nine months. This step followed Irdai's directive to insurers to conduct a self-assessment of compliance with CCPA guidelines regarding dark patterns and submit the results.
However, insurers reported that no dark patterns were found during these checks.
Regarding informed consent, Seth advised insurers to ensure that policyholders fully understand the terms of the contract before giving their consent. He added that seeking consent should be viewed not merely as a legal formality but as an important process of building trust.
Amit Ganorkar, CEO of Tata AIG General Insurance Company, noted that all companies are reviewing their websites, but it is too early to comment on the steps taken, as customer well-being should be the priority.
Earlier this month, a study conducted by LocalCircles based on consumer complaints, social media posts, and an AI-based dark pattern detection tool from the platform showed that nearly 95 percent of the top 300 publicly traded companies used at least one dark pattern.
Narendra Kumar Bhairindwal, President of the Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI), reported that after the issuance of the circular by Irdai, they consulted experts and sent notifications to all their members.
After the Trump administration announced the imposition of new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, including India, India stated that it will continue engagement with the United States to conclude a bilateral trade agreement.
The Trump administration presented the new tariffs on Friday, citing that the mentioned countries failed to stop imports produced using forced labor.
India's Ministry of Commerce reported in a statement that the new tariff for India was lower than the 12.5% proposed in June. Furthermore, it excludes goods such as generic pharmaceuticals, smartphones, steel, aluminum, and auto parts.
India emphasized that it maintains its commitment to working with the United States and intends to continue discussions on sectoral issues, including textiles, within the framework of negotiations for a bilateral trade pact.
Both countries have been negotiating a trade agreement since last year, aiming to deepen economic ties and resolve long-standing market access issues. The ministry stated that the government remains committed to cooperation with the United States to expedite the conclusion of the India-US bilateral trade agreement.
According to the ministry's data, about 45% of India's exports to the US will remain outside the scope of the new tariffs due to product exemptions, while the remaining 55% will face a new 10% levy. This new levy is applied on top of standard US tariffs under the Most Favored Nation regime. As Reuters reported on Friday, Indian textile and apparel exporters may find themselves at a disadvantage compared to several Asian competitors under the new tariff regime.
Representatives of the Uzatom agency and the delegation of the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate held a meeting in Moscow with Rosatom specialists on July 22–23. The goal of the negotiations was to discuss issues related to the expert review of the design documentation for the Jizzakh NPP.
During this meeting, the procedure for organizing and conducting the expert review of project documents, as well as issues of supporting the development of national specialists, were discussed. Following the meeting, which was attended by Dmitry Volkov, Director of Rosatom's Capital Construction Corporation, and representatives of the expert body, an agreement was reached to create a joint working group.
This working group will ensure the prompt resolution of issues related to coordinating activities between Uzbekistan and Russia, as well as obtaining relevant expert conclusions.
In addition, representatives of the Uzbek delegation met with the management of the Association of Atomic Industry Enterprises in Moscow. The main focus of these negotiations was on organizing cooperation with the Association's member companies in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Furthermore, the delegation from Uzbekistan met in Moscow with a representative of the Hungarian company MVM EGI Zrt. The nearest practical steps for resolving issues related to the construction of dry containment buildings were determined.
