The PPECB Strategic Plan outlines the strategic role of Perishable Products Export Control Board in the product quality, food safety, phytosanitary and cold chain of perishable products in South Africa for the next five (5) years to 2013. It is intended to unpack the strategic role of PPECB, a departure from being just a follower in the environment which it is operating at, but rather as a lead agent for some of the critical initiatives pertinent to the long-term sustainability of the Perishables Products Industry. This document is informed by impending policy development initiatives in the food safety and product quality environment in the country, as headed by the Department of Agriculture. It is also informed by the experiences of PPECB as statutory entity responsible for bringing about orderly and efficient export of perishable products from the Republic as well as an assignee on-behalf of the Department of Agriculture in terms of the Agriculture Products Standards Act.

The Plan sets out five Key Strategic Objectives. These are:

a)     Enhancing the Credibility of the South African Export Certificate;

b)     Supporting the Export Competitiveness of the South Africa’s Perishable Products Industries;

c)     Strengthening PPECB’s capacity as a credible source of Strategic Information for serving Industries and Stakeholder;

d)     Supporting Government in ensuring confidence in the quality assurance and food safety systems for local Perishables Products Markets;

e)     Supporting Government in building Systems to ensure compliance to South African quality and food safety standards for Imported Perishable Products.

These objectives are supported by a set of success indicators over the next medium term outlook. The strategy assumes a phased-in implementation approach, yielding to a fully integrated system with Government setting-out a Policy Framework, Monitoring & Auditing and a PPECB as an Agency of state implementing such Policy directives

During this period, PPECB will be focusing on three identified enablers to the strategy.

a)     Strengthening its regulatory capacity both in terms of its human capital and regulatory system;

b)     Identifying and closing systems gaps where they exist in the course of doing it business; and

c)     Working proactively with Government in contributing to a sustainable policy environment for food safety, phytosanitary, product quality and cold chain.

Finally, it is expected that implementation of this strategy will be achieved within the current overall budget of running the business of PPECB as approved by its Board. A monitoring and evaluation system will be put in place to ensure that the Board monitors progress in implementation at defined intervals.