Agriculture is one of the biggest employers of unschooled labour. Over the past ten years, the minimum wage has been amended substantially and rightly so, but as a sector, already under duress, with high input costs, global trade challenges, logistical…
Experts shared their latest research results with growers at Hortgro seminars in Grabouw and Ceres. By Anna Mouton Growers face the risk of apple replant disease every time they establish an orchard on a site previously planted to apples. Many…
Growers are positive about the crop for the 2024/2025 export season. Early indications are that overall volumes will increase compared to last year. This comes after a challenging 2023/2024 season that included extreme weather events (storms, fog, strong winds in…
A normal pome fruit season is anticipated for the 2020 season. With good 2019 winter rain, many of the growers are able to prepare a good crop. In general, colour development and pack-outs look promising at this stage. Only on…
Deur Elise-Marie Steenkamp Die onlangse haelstorm in die Langkloof het ongeveer 1500 ha appel-en peerboorde geraak en infrastruktuur op verskeie plase vernietig. Die totale verlies aan uitvoervolumes is in die orde van 1,2 miljoen kartonne. Dit verteenwoordig tussen 20% tot…
A group of hikers, with the help of Hortgro, Kromco and the Paul Clüver clan from De Rust Farm in Elgin created a hiking event in the Groenland Mountains. It was labelled Hiking for Hunger. The idea was to walk…
On 31 March 2022, the Deciduous Fruit Industry (DFI) hosted the inaugural Transformation Awards gala dinner in Stellenbosch. A momentous evening where all the short-listed candidates swopped their overalls and Wellingtons for black tie attire. The event was jointly hosted…
Despite all the technological advances of the past century, there is one basic thing that people have simply not yet managed to learn: to wash their hands. Diseases and germs will not spread so widely if people can only start…
Many moons ago De Fynne nursery was in its nursery school stage in a backyard. It relocated to a property in Simondium but soon they outgrew that too before moving to Mooikelder Farm where they inherited a substantial plum orchard…
By Grethe Bestbier While the perception that drip irrigation is not the best option for pome fruit is a common one, a beautiful orchard of Abate Fetel pears on Weltevrede farm tells a different story. Despite the rocky nature of…
The journey of economic development through industry-led support programmes continues to deliver meaningful impact toward building a more inclusive pome and stone fruit sector. The focus remains on leveraging incremental gains to meaningfully measure progress and long-term impact. Progress highlights:…
Barend la Grange is the chief operating officer of the Privilege Foundation, which supports vulnerable children and unites communities in renovating their towns. He previously led the non-profit South Africa Day — this organisation was instrumental in regenerating the former…