Hortgro has launched two new platforms to help keep industry stakeholders informed: The Quick Identification Guide for Key Phytosanitary Pests of South African Deciduous Fruit and the Postharvest/Packhouse Action Group App. Dr Shelley Johnson compiled the Phyto ID Guide several years…
New rules on EU market packaging will take effect from 12 August 2026 and will gradually roll out through to 2040 If you export fruit to the EU, please take note of the following requirements under European Union Regulation 2025/40…
Dr Ivan Meyer, Provincial Minister of Agriculture in the Western Cape, has officially announced Dr Mogale Sebopetsa as the new Head of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA). Minister Meyer: “I am looking forward to working with the newly…
In an innovative move for plant and insect diagnostics, the Plant Disease Clinic Stellenbosch (PDC) and Bluebug Insect Diagnostic Services have officially merged as of March 2025. The newly unified service will continue to operate under the name PDC Stellenbosch,…
Text: Elise-Marie Steenkamp Last week, a diverse group of agricultural stakeholders gathered in Stellenbosch to discuss the future of pesticide regulation in South Africa. The Department of Agriculture (DoA) called for the colloquium, themed “Transforming Agricultural Regulatory Policy within the…
By Kara van der Berg A new phytosanitary facility dedicated to deciduous fruit will help improve access to new markets and maintain current ones for the industry. Hortgro approved and funded the building of a new phytosanitary research laboratory that…
Hortgro is fast-tracking the process to get a new national qualification for horticultural supervisors and junior managers off the ground. Kyra-Kay Rensburg investigates. The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) qualification for Horticultural Foremen, an NQF4 vocational qualification, was…
In the industry, there are quite a few young orchards that perform exceptionally well despite difficult climatic conditions. To acknowledge the hard work that goes into producing top quality fruit, Hortgro Science is launching the “Bakgatboord Series” . Over the…
HORTGRO spoke to Wolfe Braude, Agbiz Fruitdesk Manager South African deciduous fruit may have access to new markets in the coming years, thanks to two new trade agreements. In the meantime, however, a new tariff for fruit has been introduced…
The new Minister of Agriculture in the Western Cape, Ivan Meyer, has a clear vision of what he must achieve in his term and he is ready to learn. “You must teach me,” he said to delegates at the opening…
Langkloof Representative: Neil-Pierre Strydom The Langkloof had an above-average harvest this year. For the first time in years, all farmers had enough water in their dams to see the season through. On the Western side of the Kloof, rain decreased…
Next Generation Series: When Robin Baldie was six years old his teacher asked him what he wanted to be one day. “Without hesitation, I wrote ‘farmer’,” the tall man with the broad smile remembers fondly. Most people might be mistaken…