By Wilechia van der Westhuizen If you’ve ever wondered what happens to your fruit after it leaves the pack store, here’s a snapshot: right now, South African apples and pears are starring in marketing campaigns across China, Thailand, India, and…
Hortgro Sustainability and Natural Resource Manager Nitasha Baijnath-Pillay compares South Africa’s carbon emissions with global contributions. There are many kinds of footprints. A knowledge footprint visualises a person’s or organisation’s expertise, used to capture and share knowledge. It connects expertise…
By Karien Bezuidenhout Although South Africa’s cherry exports are relatively small (0,1% in 2024) compared to Chile’s (49% in 2024), the industry has grown by leaps and bounds. In 2012, South Africa had 185 hectares of cherry plantings, and by…
Press release: September 2021 South African plum growers are on the doorstep of a make-or-break season that will determine its future and sustainability. According to Hortgro’s Markets and Trade Manager, Jacques du Preez, plum growers faced many challenges over the…
The pome fruit harvest is under way with positive expectations for 2021. Last year saw a much better winter with enough rain in the majority of the production areas. Cooler weather during spring and the flowering period has resulted in…
Press release: 15 October 2020 A normal outlook for South African 2020/2021 stone fruit exports The 2020/2021 season is upon us and the stone fruit forecast and overall estimate volumes are looking much better compared to the same time last…
South African stone-fruit exports have increased substantially this year despite a challenging production season for growers. Figures from industry body Hortgro for the 2025/26 season show there were 32.4 million cartons of stone fruit available for export, representing a 15% rise…
Quade Sing Jam is the Stewardship Manager and a compliance specialist at CropLife South Africa, and if you have questions about personal protection equipment (PPE) in the deciduous fruit industry, he has the answers. By Gerrit Rautenbach PPE is as…
Ripe fruit on harvest day is possibly the most attractive breeding ground for fruit flies, says FruitFly Africa’s manager, Nando Baard. Therefore the amendment for the use of GF-120 to a zero-day withholding period is a great improvement in controlling…
Laai asseblief die Sagtevrugte-plantverbeteringsorganisasie se jaarverslag, hier af:spv-jaarverslag-2019 Indien u ‘n kopie in Engels verkies, kontak asseblief vir Nadene Louw by admin@plantsa.co.za
Just 10 days into a new job at Ceres Fruit Growers, Quality Assurance Co-ordinator, Melinda Christodoulides, experienced an extremely rare occurrence: a perfectly etched image of a branch and a leaf on a Pink Lady apple. She explains: “Red…
Hortgro Pome recently invested R2.5m in a new controlled atmosphere research facility at Stellenbosch University. The launch was held last week during the annual Hortgro Pome CA Meeting. The facility will help solve post-harvest problems within the deciduous fruit industry…