Dawn at Amanzi Words by Elise-Marie Steenkamp Meet the inspirational Errol April, a 49-year-old deciduous fruit farmer who until recently knew nothing about fruit farming. Read about this MK-veteran’s journey from the Cape Flats to the orchards of Amanzi. A…
The Hortgro Chairperson’s Award honours individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the deciduous fruit industry—either through long-term service (20+ years) or outstanding achievements in their field. We are proud to recognise Hugh Campbell as one of this year’s recipients…
The Hortgro Transformation Award gives recognition to any person(s)/group(s) that made an impact in the transformation sphere of the deciduous fruit industry value chain and showed exceptional performance and commitment. The primary purpose of this reward is to: Motivate people/groups…
Ten noticeable years of transformation The Pome and Stone Fruit Industry have put their money where their mouths are since 2010 regarding transformation and sustainable development. Over the last 10 years, transformation initiatives refocused on training, worker welfare, skills development…
By Grethe Bestbier A facility at Welgevallen Experimental Farm in Stellenbosch is buzzing with life. Here, thousands of moths, worms, flies and other insects are bred every year to ensure that the industry has somewhere to turn to for applied…
By Engela Duvenage A veritable trip down memory lane – that’s what Dr Elke Crouch recently went on while preparing for her new responsibilities as Post-Harvest Physiology Research Chair in Deciduous Fruit at Stellenbosch University. She set off for the…
Apple rootstock G.969 is a yield efficient, semi-dwarfing rootstock that according to the Cornell Geneva apple rootstock breeding programme is resistant to fire blight, crown rot, and woolly apple aphid. It is classified as having similar to slightly less vigour…
Sivuyile Panya from Kromfontein in the Koue Bokkeveld received the merit award for General Agricultural Worker of the Year for his exceptional work ethic and orchard skills. The 31-year old Panya, originally from the Eastern Cape, started as a general…
By Elise-Marie Steenkamp Normally I spend Sunday mornings in bed with coffee and rusks reading the Sunday newspapers on my tablet. Like civilised people do. But today that was not to be. I was out on a quest, bamboozled really,…
For their small size, Achtertuin is making a big difference when it comes to mentorship. Text and pictures: Gerrit Rautenbach Steven Versfeld, the custodian of Achtertuin, a small farm and packhouse in the Witzenberg district, along with production manager Anieta…
Adriaan Theron was een van Hortgro Science se beurshouers, wat nou ‘n leidende rol in die na-oes kant van die bedryf speel. Hortgro het vir Adriaan gevra om meer oor homself, asook die werk van die Store-It Group, te vertel…
After an incredibly memorable career as a national and international cricket idol, Adrian swapped the red ball for a red apple. And golden ones. Some pink ladies … Gerrit Rautenbach visited him in Elgin. This is his story. Ever since…