To counter the problem of load shedding and to encourage sustainability, farmers are going solar, which is good. But solar on the water is even better, Gerrit Rautenbach discovered. On the one hand, SA’s national electricity supplier is primarily using…
Currently, the industry is in a very precarious position with the current operational status of the Cape Town (CT) port. The industry, and country, is losing millions of Rands on a daily basis due to inefficiencies resulting in berthing delays…
South African plum growers have reported excellent crop quality this season as they look to inspire UK consumers to choose their fruit. With the plum season now in full swing, the governing body of the South African Deciduous Fruit Industry,…
By Gerrit Rautenbach Dibesho Serage, Managing Director of Groundstone Group grew up in Lebowakgomo township of Limpopo Province where he did his primary and high school studies. His mother was a school teacher and Dad owned a small all-purpose shop.…
The Jobs Fund Initiatives is the Deciduous Fruit Development Chamber’s Commercialisation Programme. It started in 2016 and is aimed at graduating a group of smallholder farmers to commercial status. Hortgro and the DFDC-SA recently went on a monitoring and evaluation…
Hortgro, the governing body of the South African Deciduous Fruit Industry, announced that market access has finally been granted for South African pears to China. This comes after many years of dedication and hard work by a team of industry…
In industry, formal independent fruit cultivar evaluation by Provar is supported by various in-season ‘Fruit Tastings’ to showcase the latest cultivars and selections belonging to IP representatives and fruit breeders. Provar, as the host for these industry tastings, invites all…
Dr Ilse Trautmann was recently appointed as Deputy Director-General: Agricultural Research and Regulatory Services (DDG: ARRS) at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA). The Branch Agricultural Research and Regulatory Services is one of two branches in the Department and…
Consumers want uniformly dark green Granny Smith apples without blemishes. What light environment in the canopy will produce this result? Granny Smith is among the top three apple cultivars planted in South Africa, accounting for 13% of the total area…
The United States is the second-largest global producer of apples and 70% of these apples come from Washington State. The main apple-growing areas in Washington State are semi-arid. Summers are characterised by high solar irradiation and temperatures that frequently exceed…
Laetitia is the second-largest plum cultivar in South Africa according to 2020 figures for area planted and cartons exported. Unfortunately, it is also at high risk of heat damage because it matures late in the season. A recent Hortgro-funded project…
By Jacques du Preez After an unexpected, but welcome, increase in stone fruit production during the previous season, especially the plum industry is anticipating export volumes that are in line with the 2021/22 season. Normality has returned after the drought…