PPECB History

PPECB’s creation in South Africa during 1926 became necessary as the need for an authority to encourage the export of perishable products intensified during the early part of the previous century. It was established and mandated to determine which shipping companies would be used for export and which perishable products would enjoy priority when assigning space aboard vessels. At the time, export products under PPECB’s control consisted mainly of deciduous and citrus fruit. However, the product range soon expanded and shipping space that had previously been available exclusively to fruit was being shared with meat, eggs, poultry, dairy and other products. Today there are over 230 products on the export list. These exports are certainly one of South Africa’s major assets, since the value thereof is approximately 8 billion S.A. Rands per annum. It is also estimated that the industries that are served by PPECB employ over a million people at all levels of production, processing and distribution. Furthermore, these primary export products are renewed annually and do not exhaust scarce resources.

It is no mean task to attempt to gather the facts over a period of more than one and a half centuries, and to capture the development of an industry from a small beginning to a vast and extensive business. In such an undertaking it is obvious that the names of various people and ventures will be mentioned, however, there are countless leaders and pioneers who played important roles that are faceless or nameless. They include people in the various perishable product industries, shipping lines, government departments and within PPECB itself, all of whom must never be forgotten.

It is also appropriate to remember that, whenever there is mention of perishable products and the marketing thereof, many role players contribute to the chain from farm to fork. Since 1926, PPECB has been a part of this chain, and has indeed been the golden thread in every facet of the development and growth of the industries that we know today.

Probably one of the developments that impacted most dramatically on PPECB was the deregulation of the marketing environment in South Africa in 1997, which placed an exceptional burden on the organisation. New entrants to the industries had to be assisted and coached in the specialised business of perishable product exportation, whilst more than 1 500 inspection points throughout the country had to be serviced. In an unsettled and unstable environment PPECB continued to guide and serve exporters, irrespective of their standing or size, providing the stability that was so desperately needed in the fruit industries at the time. Perhaps PPECB’s commitment was best summarised by the Minister of Agriculture’s comments: "Our opponents argued that deregulation would ruin South Africa's quality reputation abroad but, with the excellent service of the PPECB, we've not only broadened access to the international markets, we have also maintained the high quality standards that we are well known for".

From a modest beginning in 1926, reporting to the Minister of Transport, PPECB has grown into a well-respected organisation the world over, employing some 300 staff members today. Its offices are spread across the whole country - indeed wherever perishable products are grown. As a dynamic parastatal body working closely with the National Department of Agriculture, PPECB is set to play an important future role, especially with regards to food safety and certification of food supply processes in South Africa and even Africa.

The purpose of this work is to have a record of the past, however, one cannot deny that everything of significance that has been accomplished was done standing on the shoulders of those who preceded us. We pay tribute to them for having the vision to create and grow the PPECB.

Given that South Africa is only some three hundred and fifty years old, then the almost 80 years of existence of the PPECB is a remarkable accomplishment. There are probably few, if any, other statutory organisations that have been around for that long and that are still making a significant contribution in exports.