There are so many young people in South Africa that pass matric but do not know what to do next. Perhaps their results were such that they do not qualify to attend university, perhaps they do not know if they…
Derich Priga’s long road to packing fruit, by Gerrit Rautenbach. There is a contentedness about Derich Priga. Unlike many people out there in this world, he has never entertained the idea of being the victim. Neither has he ever victimised…
By Elise-Marie Steenkamp The fifth group of production managers enrolled in the Mazars-Hortgro learning initiative recently received their certificates. This unique learning and development programme was launched in 2019 when Hortgro engaged the services of Mazars to provide talent management…
Hortgro’s Dr Minette Karsten and Marno van der Westhuizen recently completed Hortgro’s two-year industry leadership development programme. The programme culminates with an international study tour to gain international exposure. Karsten and van der Westerhuizen formed part of a group that…
Lessons learnt from two decades of organic stone fruit production, by Anna Mouton. Good things are said to be hard to find — and this is certainly true of organic growers of deciduous fruit in South Africa. Consumer demand for…
Compiled by Tru-Cape Tru-Cape’s pome producers in Ceres and the EGVV area are currently assessing the damages and losses caused by gale-force winds and rain over the weekend. “We are currently doing a damage assessment, but at the moment it…
Load shedding in January came at an extremely inconvenient time for deciduous fruit producers, with harvesting, packing and cold store operations currently reaching a seasonal peak. Hortgro’s executive director, Anton Rabe, says: “Farms and packhouses had to make adjustments such…
Hortgro, SATI, FPEF, Berries ZA, CGA, and Western Cape Government held a planning/pre- season meeting with the Western Cape Management team of Transnet Port Terminals (TPT), Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) as well as representation from the Transnet National office…
By Jacques du Preez Although we believe we have reached a turning point, specifically in the Port of Cape Town, regarding the logistical crisis, we foresee another challenging season from a logistical point of view. Therefore, growers, exporters, and logistical…
By Jacques du Preez 25 March 2022 We were hopeful that the situation in the Cape Town port would improve after the issues encountered over December 2021 and into January/February 2022, but despite some glimmers of hope of clearing the…
To begin with, let’s look at the term “transformation”. In the (not so) new South Africa, the word “transformation” has become a buzzword, a politically correct term, and one often misused. The Oxford Dictionary defines transformation as “a marked change…
By Jorisna Bonthuys In the Western Cape, Ceratitis capitata, commonly known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly, is one of the most economically harmful pests in orchards, causing fruit damage and posing a phytosanitary risk. Four years ago, Gulu Bekker,…