Are we bearing fruit?: investigating the impact of industrial policy in the South African deciduous fruit sector

Abstract

Industrialisation is widely-recognised as being the driver of the rapid development experienced in East Asian miracle economies, in which those governments used targeted industrial polices to grow chosen sectors. Industrial policies have traditionally focused on manufacturing; with agriculture being viewed as an entirely separate sector that provides certain inputs into technology-heavy manufacturing activities. In more recent times however, high-value fresh agricultural produce is becoming more aligned with processes and technologies normally associated with manufacturing. The production and particularly the export of fresh horticultural commodities has become subject to a phenomenon coined the ‘industrialisation of freshness’. These commodities are high export-earners and facilitate technological progression and employment creation, and thus are becoming more recognised around the world as good candidates for targeted industrial policy. One such high-value agricultural commodity is the deciduous fruit sector which in South Africa contributes substantially to the economy, but has experienced slow expansion over two decades compared to other countries like Chile. This report is an investigation into whether, in South Africa, industrial objectives of supporting growth, export expansion and employment creation are being facilitated by the nature of the conception and implementation of industrial policy; assessed using the case of the deciduous fruit industry. This investigation is done using the ‘embedded autonomy’ model of the developmental state which infers that in order to be effective in its interventions, government needs to have close relationships with industries but must also have the authority to direct industries in line with national priorities. This report provides interesting insights into the levels of cooperation and trust between government and industry; highlighting that gaps still exist in state capacity and that more targeted focusing of industrial policy needs to take place before South Africa can achieve a developmental state.